Je Veux Être Avec Toi
by Vanity-Sky
Summary: Romantic rendezvous with a complete and total stranger in the least likely of places? Check yes. Aka The Laundry Fic.
1. Je Veux Être Avec Toi

AN: Bonjour! I had this random idea that wouldn't leave me alone so here it is for your reading pleasure. LOL.

Happy reading~

Ps. All French in this fic will be italicized!

Summary: Romantic rendezvous with a complete and total stranger in the least likely of places? Check yes.

Je Veux Être Avec Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It was that time again.

Laundry day.

Adrien piled all his clothes into a basket. Literally everything. Not a single piece of clothes was clean and he's lost count of how many days he's worn and could continue to pull off wearing the same outfits.

"Ugh. You're such a slob" Plagg muttered as he munched on a piece of camembert.

"It wouldn't be such a mess if someone actually cleaned after themselves AND didn't leave crumbs of cheese everywhere _"_ the blonde model glared at his little magical black cat companion.

Plagg rolled his big green eyes and floated his way away from Adrien's nagging.

"I miss having maids" Plagg whined as hues of colors and textures of fabrics flew passed his head.

Adrien got down on his knees and searched underneath his bed for any sneaky articles of clothing that might've escaped his line of vision. "You know what, Plagg? I miss them too. I miss having a bedroom that was literally the entire size of our apartment but we don't have those luxuries anymore so you're just going to have to deal with that fact. I'm twenty-three and have had enough of my dad's ridiculous and strict rules"

"Well it's hard, okay? We've lived here for less than six months" Plagg sighed again, he almost lost his appetite with his dread.

"I'm still learning how to be on my own. So far we've done okay… Haven't we? Now where's that pesky sock at…" Adrien stuck out his tongue as he flexed his arm muscles trying to reach as far deep under his bed as he could.

"Ah-ha! There you are!" Adrien sprung up from his laid position on the floor and victoriously showed off the red sock to Plagg.

"…And where's its pair?" He asked.

Adrien groaned and kept searching for it.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Forty-five minutes later of finding all his dirty clothes and a heavy pocket filled with euros - Adrien was ready to set out to a laundromat he had discovered _on rue de_ _Seine_ in the _6th arrondissement_. It wasn't a long ways from where he lived but he enjoyed the drive there. It was close to the _Seine_ itself, art galleries, a pretty amazing _café_ , and some fashion houses he's worked along with and competed against.

"Plagg, the door" Adrien huffed as his basket of clothes blocked his vision. Plagg swiftly flew to the laundromat's entrance and used a bit of magic to get the door opened otherwise his stubby little hands wouldn't be able to.

With a loud thud, the basket fell to the floor as he went to go get a second load from his black Bugatti Veyron.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette wheeled her tiny red and black polka dotted trolley cart holding a basket filled with about a week's load of clothes towards the laundromat located on _rue de_ _Seine_. Alya, her best friend always nagged her about the distance, it was about a thirty minute walk from where Marinette lived but she enjoyed the exercise and scenery. Each _arrondissement_ had its own personality to it after all.

Once she reached her destination, she noticed a very _,_ and she meant very nice car parallel parked nice and snug right outside the laundromat.

Passing the owner of the car and their opened car door, she made her way inside herself to find an open spot. It was a Sunday with unusually hot weather for a Parisian summer day at 32.2 Celsius.

The laundromat had no air conditioning and Marinette was fully clothed except her legs. She wore short black gym shorts, a pink tank top that was hidden by a long sleeved grey sweater and grey with pink striped jogging sneakers.

"Make sure to stay hydrated!" Tikki, the magical little ladybug squeaked as she hid inside the trolley basket.

Marinette smiled at her companion, "I know. Thank you"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kicking his car door closed, Adrien made his way back in with a much smaller load and placed it right by his first basket. Wiping the sweat off his blonde brow, he threaded his fingers through his hair and pulled the unruly sweaty mess back.

He noticed now that he wasn't alone in the laundromat as before. Plagg quickly hid in the smaller load as Adrien set his detergent on the counter.

Smiling at the young woman that was sharing the same counter as him, she briefly acknowledged him and set her own soaps on the counter.

"You don't mind sharing this space, do you?" Adrien spoke up, asking the petite woman.

"Not at all" Marinette replied back, setting her euro coins on the counter to count them.

Ignoring each other for a couple of minutes, the silence felt awkward to her. Marinette separated her coins and her darks from her whites as she couldn't help but watch the young man. He wore black with green striped basketball shorts, a green tank top undershirt, and white sneakers. She wasn't going to lie - he was pretty hot, both literally and metaphorically. His shirt hugged him in all the right places and his arm muscles bulged out just right at her. He was lean and tall with lightly tanned skin. His hair was messy and a sun kissed gold shade with piercing green eyes. He reminded her a bit of the infamous Parisian hero - Chat Noir, minus all the black leather and cat ears and bell.

Adrien didn't notice the pair of blue bell eyes that watched his every move as he went to insert his coins into the dispenser and pressed the corresponding number of the washers he was using. Heading back to the machines, he dumped everything into two separate washers.

"Your whites will get ruined that way" Marinette unconsciously chimed in.

"Huh?"

"Especially if you throw in red socks into a white load… Unless you're aiming for pink clothes"

"I guess even doing your laundry has its own science to it, doesn't it?"

Marinette couldn't help but laugh as she quickly separated his already soaked clothes and made sure that both whites and darks and whatever other delicates he had were all saved from disaster.

While she fixed his problem, Adrien couldn't help but notice that patch of yellowish green, with a hint of blue and purple healing bruised skin on the top of her hands as her sweater rose up a mere inch and stuck to her skin with the water of the washer.

"Demanding job?" he asked without realizing what he even asked.

Marinette looked down at her hands and noticed what he meant. Finishing up separating and helping him out with his clothes, she snorted at the comment. "More like demanding boyfriend who happens to be a complete asshole"

Adrien paused and went over what he just asked in his head and groaned. "Sorry. My mind is a bit unfiltered and I tend to ask things without thinking"

Marinette gently smiled at him, "It's fine, I don't mind. I actually appreciate letting out steam once in a while with honesty, especially with strangers"

"Who says we have to be strangers?" there he goes again, even in his civilian form he couldn't tame his inner Chat Noir. He winked at her and couldn't stop himself fast enough. Note to self: punch yourself later.

Marinette placed her right hand on her hip and smirked, "Cheeky aren't you? And here I thought only Chat Noir was flirty"

Adrien's heart quickened in pace as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Have you personally met our infamous hero?"

"Maybe I have or maybe I haven't. I never miss the news" she vaguely replied.

" _Touché_ " he grinned.

"You're probably wondering why I'm dressed for cooler weather"

"I didn't want to be rude. I'm a gentleman after all"

"My hands and arms are bruised" Marinette sighed, "It really sucks… I was planning on wearing a pretty blue sundress this weekend"

Adrien's heart sank for her, should he show her sympathy or would she get mad at him for pitying her? Was it pity or empathy? "D-D-Do y-you want to t-talk about it?" he stuttered.

Marinette walked over to the coin dispensers and pressed her own numbers for the washers she was occupying and shook her head. "Maybe some other time. I'm afraid I'm just a ticking time bomb"

Adrien gave her a sincere smile, "I'll be here. And if you're not, then I'll still be here… trying to figure out how to do my own laundry"

Marinette giggled and shook her head at him, "I'm sensing you're hopeless already"

Adrien clutched the cotton fabric of his undershirt near his heart and lightly gasped, "You wound me, my fair stranger"

"Marinette" she corrected him and asked, " _Et toi?"_

"Adrien" he replied with a cheesy bow. He couldn't help himself, he felt already comfortable enough around her.

"So you share the name of Paris one and only Fashion Prince?"

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't" he told her, mimicking what she said earlier. He knew that what he just said made no sense whatsoever but wasn't thinking clearly around her.

Did she already discover who he is? Or perhaps she's pretending not to make a big deal out of it? But then again, why would he - Adrien Agreste, the son of Paris most prestigious fashion house be doing at a public self-service laundromat? Unless he moved out and stood up to his own father, that's what.

Peaceful silence took over the two as they finished tending to their clothes needs. Sunset soon took over with the setting sun blending into the clouds in the horizon. Adrien was still waiting on his last load to finish drying as Marinette had finished neatly folding her clothes and placing her basket back in her trolley cart.

"I'll see you next Sunday, _Monsieur Agreste"_ Marinette held the entrance door with her back as she looked at him and winked, wheeling her cart out the door.

Adrien was rendered speechless. So she did know.

She knew and didn't dare say a single word.

Adrien chuckled and gave her a two finger salute, " _Á bien tôt_ "

Next Sunday couldn't come any sooner.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

I've had this idea of a laundromat trolling me for about a good week or so.

Laundromats are quite different in France than in the States and there's about 20 _arrondissement_ (kinda like neighborhoods) - I chose the 6th since it's not too far from the Notre Dame where Marinette's home is located near in the show. I've never personally been to France but I've been doing my research and hope that I've conveyed that well enough. _  
_

32.2 Celsius is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Things aren't as simple as they seem. Mwahahaha.

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]

i don't own Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, Plagg or Tikki and all other future characters used in this fic.

Miraculous Ladybug is owned by Thomas Astruc/Zagtoon/etc.

i just own this idea/plot/whatever you want to call it~ lol :p


	2. Tu Es Très, Très Jolie

AN: Thank you to those of you who review! I can't even begin to say just how much reviews really help to motivate me (or any other author for that matter) to actually upload a whole lot faster than I normally would.

Happy reading~

Tu Es Très, Très Jolie

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"She knows the real me, Plagg" Adrien sighed dreamily.

"That you're a huge dork and that I have nothing to do with the fact that you're an actually cheesy flirt?" Plagg rolled his eyes.

Adrien ignored him and continued to stare off into space. He had just gotten out of the shower and laid on his bed with only a white towel on, not caring that he was soaking through his comforter.

"Ugh… I miss actually having something to do at night…" Plagg muttered to himself but Adrien heard him. It was true - he too missed actually having something to do; having a sense of duty to the citizens of Paris if you will. Paris and the world no longer needed a hero or should he say heroes, it no longer needed its duo of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

With the nostalgia also came the pain.

He hadn't seen Ladybug since the night they slept together after the defeat of Hawkmoth. Adrien had been so emotionally disconnected with everything that had happened, especially the revelation of his own father being the villain that he was after since the ripe tender age of fourteen.

He couldn't understand his father's motives and it drove him to the brink of insanity. It added onto the list of reasons why he wanted to leave his home as soon as humanly possible.

The biggest regret he ever had in life was the fact that he never chased after Ladybug. She so clearly wanted to start something with him but because of his stupid father - he drove her away.

Adrien groaned, "Thanks a lot, Plagg. You big jerk" grabbing the nearest pillow his hand could reach for, Adrien placed it onto his face and grumbled into it. He hated having to replay the look of complete and utter hurt on his Lady's face and the fact that he treated her so coldly after they shared their intimate selves with each other.

That happened nearly two years ago and the wound was still fresh in his mind.

Plagg frowned and zoomed closer to Adrien's pillow covered face, "Look… I'm sorry okay? I'm really not used to still being around after defeating Hawkmoth… all my other masters would return the ring back to Master Fu and I'd be stuck in eternal slumber until the next rookie came tumbling by"

Adrien didn't have the heart to return Plagg back into his ring and Master Fu seemed perfectly fine with allowing him to keep his miraculous. Throwing his pillow aside, Adrien clasped his hands together and cupped Plagg in both palms lightly.

"Hey! What gives!" Plagg complained as Adrien rubbed his chubby cheek with the pad of his left thumb. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that? But I'd never get mad at you for anything, Plagg"

"Yeah, well you're stupid if you don't" Plagg chomped his tiny fangs into Adrien's thumb and tried escaping from the sentimental moment.

"Go back to daydreaming about your laundry girl!" escaping his grasp, Plagg went to hide somewhere where not even Adrien could find him.

Adrien laughed and yelled towards the direction Plagg flew past, "She has a name you know! It's Marinette!"

He paused and touched his lips, they tingled at the mention of her name.

"Marinette…" he whispered.

"Don't you dare start touching yourself! I sleep in the same room as you! And put some clothes on, will ya! Go to sleep!" a faint voice warned from a distance.

"PLAGG!"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Why were you late? Didn't you say you were only going to the _laverie_?"

"I did and laundry does take time to do, Nathanaël" Marinette rolled her eyes and wheeled her trolley into her room, coming back into the living room, she made her way into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

She hated every single second she had to be within the crappy four walls of the small studio apartment they were renting but at least she had her own room. She couldn't stand sleeping, let alone allowing Nathanaël to touch her in the same room.

"Your sleeves are wet" Nathanaël commented as he eyed her sweater.

"Yes, that tends to happen when dealing with wet clothes" Marinette replied sarcastically. She had little to no energy to deal with his paranoid suspicions today.

"You belong to me! You know that!" Nathanaël gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the coffee table. His back straighten up on the couch as he leaned his torso closer to view her.

Saying he was possessive was an understatement.

"I belong to no one!" Marinette yelled back at him, throwing the glass cup into the sink, it shattered into a million tiny pieces and cut her right hand.

In the hallway, a baby's cry was heard.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sunday could not come any faster for Marinette as she wheeled her tiny red and black trolley cart back towards _rue de Seine_ to the same _laverie_ she met Paris most infamous Fashion Prince Adrien Agreste.

Marinette wasn't the type to get starstruck anymore, she did when she was younger but as the years came by and her personal life became dramatic and hectic - she had no time to fantasize of all the impossibles to reach.

She still dreamed about pursuing a fashion career, she loved making clothes and designing things whether it were for pets, dolls, or people.

Wincing, she stopped her cart and caressed her right hand. She did a pretty bad job of patching it up with gauze and antibiotics but there was no infection present so she gave herself a pat on the back for that much of her efforts.

"Marinette… I'm worried about you" Tikki whispered as she made sure the coast was clear and made herself present.

The urge to cry stung her eyes but she fought it for as long as she could. She'd cry all she wanted in front of Adrien and show him how truly pathetic she was and felt. She promised him that much last week.

"I'm fine, Tikki. If there's one thing you've given me all these years is my ladybug strength. I have to stay strong for myself and Louis. I have to stay strong" Marinette told her and reminded herself at the same time.

Tikki disappeared at the first sight of movement as she and Marinette stood in front of the laundromat's entrance. Using her back to open the door, Marinette rolled her trolley in and chose the same counter as before.

Just like before, there was no one in there. She really hoped that Adrien would come.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You literally went on three jogs per day this entire week just so you could actually have dirty clothes AND on top of that, you even bought €4,597 worth of new clothes just for today? Human emotions elude me…" Plagg tried to wrap his partner's crazy obsession around his head as he munched on a tiny piece of camembert.

"What? I was free this entire week from work, I like staying fit, AND new clothes never hurt anyone, besides I barely made a dent into my funds" Adrien assured him as Plagg didn't buy into any of it and continued to silently judge him.

There was no parking by the time Adrien left his apartment so he had to settle for an underground parking garage nearby. He didn't mind paying the hefty fee if it meant that he could see Marinette again. Holding one basket in his arm and dragging the other right behind him he made his way on the _rue de Seine._

They casually conversed and had just recently met but Adrien couldn't help feeling like a giddy schoolboy all over again even though he was home schooled for half his youth and the other half was spent and finished at an over the top expensive private academy.

Right as he was about to enter the laundromat, he could already see Marinette inside but she was busy on her phone. Feeling his own phone vibrate, he took it out to read the text message.

 **Stalker - 5:00pm**

 **"I could teach you how to do your laundry and more… Call me and let me know your location ;) Biz biz, A+"**

 **Delivered**

 **Read**

Adrien rolled his eyes and sighed, he didn't have time to deal with her. Shoving his phone back into his right front pocket, he made his way into the laundromat.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Greeting Marinette, he placed his two baskets and detergent and softener on his side of the counter.

"Do you always have this little amount of clothes to wash?" Marinette smirked at him and pointed to her three baskets, "Wanna trade?"

Adrien chuckled and quickly shook his head, "No thanks"

A brief silence fell upon them as they readied the machines they would be using when Adrien noticed all the male clothing stained in different colored paints that Marinette had with her this time. "Your boyfriend's?" he asked.

"No, my boyfriend was the guy I actually cared for, this is the bastard's clothes I'm washing" Marinette gripped the clothes and so badly wanted to shred them to pieces but stopped herself and yelped.

Adrien immediately noticed the pool of blood that soaked slightly through the gauze she had wrapped around her hand. How did he not notice that before?

"Whoa, that looks pretty bad. Are you sure you're okay?" he cautiously asked.

Marinette deeply sighed and leaned against one of the washers. "No" she honestly replied which caught Adrien by surprise.

He waited for her to elaborate but her tears came before she could. Covering her face with the palms of her hands, lips trembling and body shaking. "Ahh… I'm so pathetic" she sobbed and tried to quickly get over it, "S-S-Sorry, I-I d-did say I was a-a-a t-ticking time b-bomb" she stuttered.

She didn't notice when Adrien got closer to her, gently he stood right in front of her, her head just barely reaching his chest due to their height difference. He took her head and placed it directly on his chest as his blue t-shirt started to absorb all her tears.

"I know we've just met… but I'm here for you, Marinette. Whether you want me as a friend or as a stranger, I'm here for you" he softly repeated over and over until she finally calmed down.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So… How did you get this new wound?" Adrien softly asked, they were now sitting on top of the counter as they waited for their clothes to wash. The counter wasn't that high up as Adrien's legs touched the ground while Marinette's dangled.

"I got pissed off at my boyfriend and ended up throwing a glass cup into the sink. It shattered and well here we are… I haven't given it time to properly heal"

"And your other bruises? You're still wearing a sweater"

"Well it is about 20 Celsius outside" Marinette replied as she took off the sweater. She showed him the almost disappearing bruises she had on her hands and arms. Adrien could clearly see the print of a hand on her left arm but didn't say a word.

"That's…" he started.

"Horrible? Stupid of me to continue staying in a relationship like this? I know" Marinette finished for him.

"I'm usually not one to judge but… I can't imagine any women wanting to continue living like this. It isn't healthy" Adrien carefully chose his words.

"Trust me, I know. I'm not one to coward and if I could leave this shitty situation, I would in a heartbeat but… I just can't… not until I fix some of my own problems"

"Care to share?"

"Maybe when I'm ready. Will you allow me that much?"

Adrien's heart broke for her, frowning he looked down at their hands that were in close proximity to each other, "For you? Of course, Marinette. You don't need my permission for anything"

Marinette's heart skipped a beat at that, that tiny phrase of 'you don't need my permission for anything', why couldn't Nathanaël tell her something like that?

"Thank you, Adrien. Really, I mean it, thank you. At least you know the value of another person" she whole heartily smiled at him and reached for his right hand with her good left one, lightly squeezing it, she tried to ignore the instant spark of electricity that flowed through them.

They both stared at each other's eyes, searching for that signal - did they feel an instant spark or was it just their imaginations going wild?

Marinette let go quickly and repositioned herself on the counter, "So… enough about me, let's hear more about you. What's a rich guy like you doing in a public self-service laundromat?"

Adrien smirked, "Ahhh… now that's a good question… where do I even start?" he said, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"From the beginning?" Marinette asked causing Adrien to laugh.

"Fair enough" he calmed down from his laughing fit and continued on, "There comes a time in every man's life when he has to move from his parents home"

"Oh yeah… because living in a grand mansion in the heart of Paris was a total nightmare" Marinette chimed in sarcastically.

Adrien raised an eyebrow at her, "You have no idea"

"Uh-huh, sure. Please do continue _Monsieur_ _Agreste"_

"I wasn't happy and despite what the media knows about my father, let alone my family - there's too many skeletons in the closet. It was a hassle trying to get my father to budge but he eventually agreed to let me leave and was nice enough to not black list my name from all modeling agencies and fashion brands"

Marinette's lips parted in a small gasp, "H-He could d-do that? To his own son?"

Adrien nodded, "My father's power in the fashion world is quite admirable, not to mention influential. He did cut my pay in half though, but I was secretly saving money in my own savings account so that really had no affect on me. He thinks that because I grew up spoiled by money and luxuries most people don't have or will ever have in their lifetime that I would suffer greatly and would want to come home after a week or two. I've been on my own for a little less than six months and I'm doing just fine"

"Yet you still don't know how to separate clothes for washing despite the giant sign behind us both in English and French" Marinette laughed and playfully pushed his shoulder with her own.

"Hey! I've suffered the loss of a couple of silk shirts and other delicate fabrics and sure I've had wrinkles and rips and tears here and there but at least I haven't mixed a red sock into my whites just yet!"

"Key word: yet, and that's only because I saved you the first time we met" she stuck out her tongue at him teasingly.

" _Touché_ " he stuck his tongue out back at her, "So tell me, if you knew who I was at first glance then why not make a big deal out of it like most girls and women would?" he asked her.

Marinette shrugged, "Maybe because I'm not like most other girls or women out there? I don't see celebrities as walking pieces of Grade A meat and see them as actual human beings because that's what they are? Unless it's Jagged Stone. He's the only person I'd every go gaga for"

"You're a Jagged Stone fan? Because I'm a huge Jagged Stone fan!" he said excitedly.

"Since the day I came out of the womb. The man is twice our age and my mom was obsessed with him as she learned about French culture"

"Your parents?"

"My _papa_ is French and my _maman_ is from Southern China"

"Mandarin?"

"Yup. Although I can't speak a word of Mandarin Chinese"

"I could teach you if you'd like"

"You know mandarin?"

"Quite fluently, actually. My dad had me take Chinese since I was about three years old"

"Then I'll be looking forward to learning, _Professeur Agreste_ " Marinette winked.

Adrien furiously blushed from ear to ear.

It was that time again when they had to part ways. Adrien was finished before her as he folded his clothes as neatly and best as he could and placed everything into his baskets. Dragging both baskets out of the door, he held the door with his back and looked straight at Marinette.

"Marinette!" he called out getting her attention as she checked the dryer with her spinning clothes.

"Yes?" she looked straight into those mesmerizing green eyes of his.

" _Tu es très, très jolie!_ " he quickly walked out with a rapidly beating heart.

He actually said it.

Marinette deeply blushed as her heart skipped a beat.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

20 Celsius is about 68 degrees Fahrenheit and €4,597 is about $5,085

Adrien's stalker is using french text slang – Biz Biz is short for bisous/kisses and A+ is short for À plus/see you later which is already a shorten form of saying À plus tard/see you later!

I don't have much to say other than, I'm sure everyone in this fandom knows who Louis is.

How will Adrien and Marinette continue getting closer? You'll see!

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]


	3. J'Adore Ton Sourire

AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! They make me smile and love reading your comments!

Three things I wanna say:

1\. BLESS Thomas Astruc aka Hawkdaddy for FINALLY giving us everyone's last name, especially Nino's (you have no idea how much I wanted to know his, lol)

2\. I like slow paced stories as much as the next person but a change of pace is refreshing every now and then!

3\. Adrien could walk into the swankiest restaurant in all of Paris wearing a potato sack and no one would bat their eyes at him, thinking it was couture or something. LOL. Money and name status talks after all.

Happy reading~

J'Adore Ton Sourire

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A nineteen year old Marinette awoke one day during the early hours of the morning drenched in sweat and a high beating pulse. Just a few weeks after the defeat of Hawkmoth, Paris was able to sleep in, in peace for once. Clasping both her hands to her mouth, she jumped over the ladder to her bed and landed on the ground with a big thud. Rushing, she unlatched her bedroom door lock and quickly made her way to the bathroom.

Spilling whatever little contents she had in her stomach, she dry-heaved the rest into the toilet bowl. Tikki, with her concerned eyes, watched her young partner from the slightly ajar bathroom door wanting to give her some privacy.

This wasn't the first time Marinette rushed to the bathroom with morning sickness or was even able to hold it in that long, in order to reach said bathroom. Half the time she'd vomit right into her trash can right next to her bed.

"Marinette… maybe we should tell your mom? You've been sick for the past two weeks. You need a doctor" Tikki frowned.

Rinsing her mouth, a couple of times and applying toothpaste to her toothbrush, she stuck the brush into her mouth and shook her head. Scrubbing her teeth for a few silent seconds, she spat out the paste and rinsed her mouth.

"I'm fine, really" Marinette tried to sound reassuring but failed miserably as Tikki lightly glared at her with that all knowing look of hers.

Marinette heavily sighed. She had suspicions as to what this could be. She was dating Nathanaël, her boyfriend of three months at that time but she had yet to sleep with him.

Who she did have sex with was her one and only partner - Chat Noir.

It was intoxicating, hot, and passionate but what did she know about sex? That was her first time.

Marinette was the Queen of the Klutzes, she wasn't perfect by any means of the word, and adding a one-night affair to her list was just another mark of imperfections onto her list.

Frowning, her mind briefly wandered to the 'what-ifs'

What if Chat Noir wanted her the way she wanted him?

What if their one night together lead to gaining some backbone confidence to leaving her current relationship? Sure she was happy, Nathanaël treated her right but… he wasn't Chat Noir.

What if Chat Noir wanted her the way she wanted him?

"Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. _Oh, Dieu_ _,_ don't cry" Marinette whisper-chanted to herself.

Asking her mom if she would accompany her to the doctors, she braced herself for the worst but would it really be the worst thing to ever happen to her?

A few hours later and she was in a clinic, laying down on a cold medical chair with a doctor silently examining her. She heard the occasional hums from time to time. Marinette had her eyes closed tightly shut as the sensation of ice cold waves traveled through her entire body. She closed her eyes as the ultrasound beeped and moved around the cold jelly like liquid that was covering her flat toned stomach. She kept her eyes closed still even after the whole thing was done. Her mother squeezed her hand lightly, sitting by her side.

"Congratulations _Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng_ and _Madame Cheng_ " the doctor warmly smiled and congratulated, shaking hands with Sabine.

Marinette could feel the warmth radiating off of him but couldn't tell with her eyes closed.

"Pregnant" Sabine repeated to herself as she processed the information.

"I'm…" Marientte slowly opened her eyes and viewed the monitor, "pregnant" she breathed.

She knew it. She damn well knew it. Missed period and tell-tale signs for weeks.

She knew it.

But it wasn't Nathanaël's.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette couldn't sleep any later as she rose early and started her day as she normally did.

Get up, check on Louis, take a shower, get dressed, put on makeup and then prepare breakfast with a baby monitor by her side.

Sitting at her vanity desk, Marinette heavily sighed as she patted on the heavy cream concealer on her fair skin underneath her eyes. It served to help her look more alive than she felt inside and to help hide the healing bruise of the black right eye she was currently sporting.

"Alya is right outside" Tikki informed Marinette as she got up and went straight to the door.

"Hey, girl!" Alya greeted with two light pecks on both of Marinette's checks.

Marinette returned the gesture and moved aside to let Alya in.

Immediately entering the small apartment, Alya noticed a slumped over figure at the kitchen table with a shot glass a reach away from Nathanaël's hand.

"Fun night?" Alya sarcastically asked, pointing towards the kitchen.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "The funnest. So fun that it took me forever to get Louis to stop crying and into bed AND on top of that, the party was so wild that I received a nice little parting gift" she said as she smudged the concealer on her right eye showing Alya the nice purple bruise.

"What an asshole. Just let me at him once with a wooden spoon, PLEASE" Alya begged as both young women headed to Marinette's bedroom.

"I think you'd have better luck with metal" Marinette smirked as she gently picked up Louis from his crib as she waited for Alya to take the stroller from the closet.

"I packed his food, clothes, diapers, and wipes in his bag" Marinette told Alya as she nodded. "And I have extra clothes and stuff back at my place. Don't worry"

"What would I do without you?" Marinette smiled.

"Live a whole lot more miserably than you already do?" Alya shot back with a raised brow.

"Can't argue there" Marinette lightly giggled as they made their way outside. Louis was settled into his stroller with a blanket wrapped over him. Handing Alya the baby bag, Marinette quickly leaned in and gave her son a big kiss on his forehead. " _Je t'aime_ , my love" she whispered to Louis. Alya gave Marinette a two finger salute and made her way out.

Marinette couldn't thank her best friend enough. Alya and Nino were high school sweethearts that married young and have gained plenty of experience with taking care of a child thanks to their friend in need.

Marinette was like any other over protective mother - she trusted very few with her only son. Her precious son that she loved to the moon and back.

Entering her room again, she reapplied her concealer and a light coat of glossy vanilla flavored lipgloss to her lips and prepared all the laundry she would take to the laundromat for the day.

Knowing that Louis was safe for at least three days while Alya was on vacation from work- Marinette could breathe normal for once. She didn't have to be on constant edge that she'd come home to an unattended wailing, screaming eight months old and a passive-aggressive drunk.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Remember that one summer we spent in Milan" a sweet voice cooed into his ear. Her hot breath made the shell of his ear twitch as she trailed a finger up the ripples of his abs muscles making him tense.

If there was one thing Adrien hated in this entire world, it was having to work with her again.

"That summer we spent with very little clothes on and mostly in bed?" she continued as her tongue peeked out to make contact with his ear.

"CUT!" Adrien desperately yelled as he pushed the model off of him and asked for a break. Vincent, his longtime friend and photographer agreed as everyone scattered around to enjoy a short fifteen minute break.

"Adrien! I was asking you a question!" she pouted, sitting on her knees in the sand of the beach setup.

"You can ask after work and without your tongue in my ear, Lila" he grumbled.

Shivering, Adrien took a napkin from the snack bar and tried scrubbing away at his ear furiously trying to forget the feel of Lila crawling all over him.

Why did he have such rotten luck and have to shoot a beach ad with her? As if her frequent stalking text messages weren't enough.

"You may not want to remember but your body sure does" Lila whispered, planting light kisses all over his bare back and shoulder blades.

Quickly moving away, Adrien ran for a towel that was placed on a chair of the beach set and tried wiping at his back. "You're not very professional today" Adrien rolled his eyes.

"We're on break" Lila shot back, hand on her hip. She was about to say something witty when a group of young and inexperienced models who were fans formed a circle around her. "Signorina Rossi! Signorina Rossi! May we please get an autograph and picture with you?" the Italian fans enthusiastically asked.

This was the perfect chance for Adrien to finally escape. Fishing his phone out of his shorts pocket, he looked at the time on the small screen. He signed as he had to endure another two hours with Lila then head home to find something to take to the laundromat with him.

He would much rather spend his time with Marinette than Lila any day of the week.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette reached the laundromat at the exact time as she always did and Adrien was nowhere in sight. She figured he was probably running a bit behind or at least she hoped to all the deities she could name that he was. She desperately needed an escape from the hell she has been living in for the past two years. Her new found friendship with the French supermodel was exactly that - her vicarious escape.

Sitting on top of the counter, her feet dangled high above as she absentmindedly flipped through a _Jalouse_ interview that featured Gabriel Agreste.

The infamous French fashion powerhouse had been absent from the public scene for over two years. It was a miracle that they could even get an interview with him.

 **Q: Monsieur Agreste, what have you been up to these past two years?**

 **G.A.: Traveling, creating new designs and overseeing our other branches of course.**

 **Q: Silk or chiffon?**

 **G.A.: -**

A gust of wind entered the hot laundromat causing Marinette to look up. She immediately smiled and forgot all about her magazine as she set it down and waved at Adrien.

"I thought you weren't coming" she told him as her smile met her bright blue eyes.

To Adrien her eyes looked bright and lively unlike the past couple of weeks. "Sorry, my shoot went over and then I had to run home to get my laundry"

"Hmm… speaking of that, I never did ask…" she trailed off as Adrien waited for her to finish while he briefly scanned her outfit. She was wearing a red ruffled tank top, short black ripped jean shorts and red flats.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

"Is your washer broken?" she finished, smirking as he laughed shaking his head.

"Ah… there it is. The 'what are you doing in a laundromat' question. Didn't we discuss this last week?" he shot her back a playful wink.

Marinette basked in the light that was his refreshing airy playful mood. "You were pretty vague if I do recall"

Adrien sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, "I don't have a washer. Never bothered to invest in one when I can do it right here in the city"

"Ah huh… and I bet you were expecting to flirt with hot singles along the way?" she teased.

'You're the only one… but you're not single' Adrien thought as he raised an eyebrow and theatrically clutched at his shirt again. "You wound me yet again, M'lady. I'm not so much of a tomcat… or at least not anymore" he admitted.

Marinette's cheeks redden at him calling her 'M'lady', it had been far too long since she's heard that. She really missed Chat Noir and somehow found a bit of him in Adrien.

"At least you're honest" Marinette smiled and looked him up and down. He was wearing a simple pair of blue Hugo Boss jeans, a white slim fit long sleeved Armani shirt, paired with white Chanel sneakers. She could easily tell the brands apart by every stitch and seam and fold and cut and design pattern.

"So what are we washing today?" Adrien asked as he dragged a navy blue bag behind him. "I just have a couple of blankets and clothes to do, myself"

"Well today, I have more of my prison warden's clothes to wash all while fighting off pain in the ass acrylic and oil paint stains that are marinated in the stench of cheap American whiskey off of them"

"That sounds… fun" Adrien hesitated. He watched her expression as she shrugged as if saying ' _C'est la vie_ '

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A brief moment of silence took over them as they settled their clothes into the washers and turned on the machines.

Not even fifteen minutes later and Marinette was drenched in sweat. It was the hottest day of the month and she was glad that she was all healed up from bruises on her arms and legs. She cursed when she wiped at her sweaty face and her creamy liquid concealer started coming right off.

Luckily she wasn't facing Adrien when this happened as she fanned herself with her rolled up magazine and hopped onto the counter again to sit.

"Hey, Marinette I was thinking, would y-" Adrien stopped mid-sentence as he quickly turned around and furiously blushed. Marinette's chest was popped right in front of him, noticing sweat droplets that would disappear right in between as her back arched, her arms extended up as her fingers were tangled into her dark hair that glowed a tint of dark blue in the sunlight. She was putting her hair up into a high ponytail, holding a small black elastic band right between her teeth.

Adrien subconsciously licked his suddenly dry lips.

"Yes?" Marinette asked, finishing tying the hair band into her hair and tightening the ends of her ponytail. Her face was flushed from the heat as her chest heaved rapidly from the thick humid air.

Adrien was in a trance as he stepped closer to her and lightly brushed the pad of his thumb onto her slightly agape lips. Marinette's breathe hitched and held in her chest as he took her by surprise, her heart beating sporadically in her ears.

"Why?" he whispered, a slight pang of pain evident in his voice.

Marinette wasn't sure what he meant until she had to tilt her head up to look directly into those mesmerizing green eyes. His hands cupped her face in both palms as he repeated his question, "Why?"

Marinette momentarily blinked and sighed, "Like I said… he fancies whiskey. He's a struggling artist with a drinking problem…" she closed her eyes, not being able to bear the frown that marred his perfect face, "It's honestly not that bad… I'm not in much… pain" she winced when his cool fingers brushed against the now visible purple bruising surrounding her right eye.

"It's not fair" Adrien spoke up, getting closer to her, one leg in-between her legs as he could feel his own blood rushing and erratically beating chest with a heart that would have escaped his chest by now if it weren't for his rib cage firmly keeping it in place.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

He wasn't one to start affairs, he was a gentleman after all… but Marinette had this power over him. They've only known each other for less than a month and every week was a constant internal war within himself.

He so wanted to rip her straight out of the arms of her current boyfriend and claim her as his own. He wanted to ravish and treat her like the princess she is. He never wanted that beautiful smile of hers to falter. She looked miserable and even more so whenever they brought her abusive boyfriend into the conversation.

Adrien bit his bottom lip hard, almost hard enough to cause it to bleed. If he were to kiss her now, there was a high chance that she'd slap him and never wish to see him ever again, as a friend or otherwise. Or there was a high chance she wouldn't.

He honestly didn't want that, he didn't want to tarnish what little bit of normalcy he had in his life - this precious friendship he had with a kindhearted, beautiful, intelligent young woman. He wasted a lot of time being angry, cold, and distant. He wasted a lot of time messing around with models and rebelling against his father during these past two years. He was beyond pissed off at France's beloved Gabriel Agreste and with everything combined that he's done and has thought of doing - he just wasted time, time he could've spent meeting nice decent people and forming strong bonds with.

He wasn't about to screw that up now with Marinette just because the very thought of kissing her made his libido sky rocket to the freakin' moon and stay there.

Pulling back, he decided to preserve his friendship with her. He decided not to meddle into Marinette's personal life more than he already has, he wasn't going to question or beg her to leave her boyfriend. It wasn't his place to question her reasons to begin with.

He wasn't even sure himself if he was literally speaking with his dick or actually planning a future with her. He wasn't sure if he felt empathetic or just his inner gentleman roaring and thrashing like a savage beast ready to sweep her off her feet because he wholeheartedly wanted to.

Marinette quickly tugged the collar of his shirt and pushed him closer, crashing her lips with his and causing an inaudible gasp out of him. She was never this impulsive and brave but something in her snapped with the hungry look in his eyes for her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her left hand weaving through his blonde unruly hair while her right hand wrapped around his board lean shoulder.

Adrien tightly held onto her hips; he could taste the vanilla of her lipgloss as they briefly caught their breaths for a split second, Marinette's hot minty breath fanned against his face as she took lung full's of air deep into her chest and reclaimed his lips. She begged him for entrance as he happily obliged. He could hear her deep throaty moan as her slim fingers tugged on his hair and tried pulling him closer.

Marinette was starved of any physical contact and had been for the past two years. This current little predicament of Adrien's was seriously not helping the blood rushing southbound to his lower region.

The hot summer air turned ice quickly into water, melting more than enough of children's ice creams, and made bodies slick with sweat and clothes stick on like a second skin.

Adrien was ready to throw Marinette right down on the counter itself, not caring if it was public indecency or even too public of a show.

He felt like fire was coursing through his veins with an unquenched thirst for everything Marinette. He knew it the second he did it that he screwed up big time - Adrien sucked and nibbled on a patch of skin by her collarbone. He had made a small but clearly visible mark on her.

Marinette relished in the new sensations that Adrien made her feel. He made her come alive and actually feel noticed. Even if it was for a short moment, it made her forget all her worries. The fact that she was struggling with rent, wasn't getting enough tailoring jobs as before, wasn't happy in life other than the joy her son brought her, and needed to fend off Nathanaël every time he decided to get drunk and hurt her; none of that mattered when she was with Adrien.

Marinette extended her neck longer giving Adrien more space as he trailed kisses from her neck and jawline. Both her hands were swept up into his hair and pushing his head closer to her skin. His nose lightly bumped against her cheek as he planted a quick peck on her cheek and found his lips to hers again as he ran his hands up and down her thighs and legs.

The red hot fire that sparked uncontrollably between them that started it all soon dimmed down to a pleasant soft and slow pace.

Adrien gently left a peck on her lips, kissed both her closed eyelids and then lingered on her forehead.

Marinette almost whimpered when she felt the loss of contact. Slowly opening her eyes, she was met with hazy green eyes. "Hi" he whispered.

"Hi… w-wow" she breathed. Her cheeks were flushed even more than before, lips swollen, her clothes were definitely clinging onto her by now, and heart still trying to calm down.

"Does this make me a low life scumbag or unbelievable prick who just did that now for trying to steal another man's girlfriend?" Adrien lips pursed into a frown.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh and smiled; Adrien adored her laugh and smile.

"Not if said girlfriend is willing. You're neither a scumbag or prick in my book. You have my full consent to stealing me away… if that's what you really want" she blushed.

"Oh, I would very much like that" he replied honestly with a flirtatious wink. He wasn't entirely sure of the future or what it may hold for them but he was sure enough that he wanted to claim her as his own and to never see another bruise on her ever again.

"So… what did you want to ask me before… you know" Marinette asked, eyeing his lips and biting her own.

Adrien ruffled his hair even more and stretched, "Oh, umm… I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me? Our laundry will take a while to dry and… if I'm not overstepping my bounds…"

Marinette bit her lip shaking her head, "I just made out in a laundromat with a hot supermodel and I'm seriously in no rush to get back home. I think you're fine"

Adrien laughed and offered his hand to her, "Good to know"

Marinette gladly took his hand and hopped off the counter. She never once let go of him as she wrapped her arm over his and leaned into his taller figure.

They still had plenty of time before the laundromat closed for the night as they made their way down the street to find somewhere small and casual for dinner.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Adrien… when you said dinner, I wasn't expecting a five-star bistro"

"Sorry… I'm still getting used to not going out to expensive places. If this bothers you, we could go somewhere else?"

"No! No, really it's fine… I'm sure my funds won't suffer… too much"

Adrien frowned, "Marinette, I'm not expecting you to pay for your own meal"

"Oh…" Marinette brightly blushed for the umpteenth time that day.

They arrived at a small hole in the wall bistro that she had never once seen as many times as she's walked up and down the same streets for years.

To say that _Coccinelle_ was exactly in her price range would be a complete lie. She could never afford a plate here in her lifetime.

Sitting down, Marinette couldn't help but fidget and feel out of place, especially with a now visible black eye.

"You okay?" Adrien asked, watching her nervous movements.

"Just feeling a bit under dressed is all" she truthfully told him.

"You're beautiful, no need to feel self-conscious about that" he squeezed her hand lightly across the table and focused on the visible hickey he left on her neck, he couldn't help feeling proud.

Marinette playfully rolled her eyes, "A charmer, eh? Boy, what ever did I get myself into?" She teased.

"A night that will leave you crawling out of bed and unable to walk for the rest of the week once I'm done with you" he casually replied as he flipped through the menu, "Now how about we start off with a bottle of _cabernet sauvignon_ or do you prefer a nice _merlot_ or _pinot noir_?"

That definitely shut her up and left her speechless with a quickening heart rate.

Adrien Agreste was no Nathanaël, that was for sure.

"Umm…" she gulped.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Things are definitely spicing up! But when will Chat Noir make an appearance and learn that he has a son with Ladybug? Dun dun dun. You'll see!

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]


	4. Je Suis Fou De Toi

AN: Thank you for reviews! Regardless of language - it makes me incredibly happy to receive feedback!

Merci pour les commentaires en français - ça me fait heureux de savoir l'histoire est bien reçu!

My French is very limited because I only learned it for two years back in high school but I try to put a bit here and there into each and every chapter! And please feel free to ask me (or Google) for a translation because I know that I haven't bothered putting any on my Author Notes.

Just a couple of things I wanna mention: I'm too lazy to write this entire intricate explanation about this in the story so I'll say it here - 1. Alya knows Marinette's secret but not that she slept with Chat Noir. 2. Tom and Sabine know about their daughter's secret and about Chat Noir but not who he is because not even Marinette knows that. 3. Nino knows Adrien's secret but not that he slept with Ladybug. 4. Alya doesn't know that Nino knows Chat Noir's secret identity and vice versa - Nino not knowing that Alya knows Ladybug's. 5. Adrien said his apartment was small and the same size as his old room in the Agreste mansion (see Chap.1) he was just being humble. LOL. 6. There was no paparazzi that could make a huge scandal tabloid spread out of Adrien eating dinner with someone with a bruised eye from last chapter so it won't effect this chapter. 7. Marinette usually styles her hair the same way as in the show - twin pigtails unless I described it any other way.

For anyone currently reading (or is interested in checking out) my other on-going story Tu Es Beau - it will be updated very soon!

Happy reading~

Je Suis Fou De Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A twenty year old Marinette cried into her cute porcelain heart shaped _mocha pots de c_ _è_ _me_ on her birthday. Just three days after finding out about her pregnancy. Her eyes hadn't gotten a break from all her tears. She wasn't sad about being pregnant or the fact that her parents knew it wasn't Nathanaël's but someone else's unknown to them, she was sad because she could never tell Chat Noir.

She had no clue where he'd gone after their one night together nor did she know how he'd take the news. The night she lost her virginity was meant to have sparks and fireworks flying through the roof and leaving her with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Instead what she got was what felt like a one sided moment of magic that left her feeling alone and rejected right after. She knew her partner for years and had trusted him with her very life but that night felt like she was back at square one. She felt something was off about him but of course he'd never tell her what was wrong. He showed her so much love during their intimacy but just as quickly a switch was turned on inside him and he left without a word to her.

She couldn't beg him to stay or ask him if they'd meet again after this. Hawkmoth had been defeated and there was no reason to meet up ever again unless they were romantically involved. She suddenly felt like all those years of their playful flirting and bantering lead nowhere. Despite all her playing hard to get, she thought she had made it clear that she was interested but maybe that wasn't enough for him?

Maybe she wasn't enough for him?

"Oh, honey. Please don't cry" Sabine came up from the bakery where she had been working all morning. Sabine was holding a small tray filled with sweets from their family's bakery she was bringing up for Marinette. She placed it on the counter table where Marinette was sitting alone at in the kitchen. Taking a metal stool, she hopped on up and pulled her daughter right into her arms.

Marinette dropped her spoon into her dessert and cried harder into her mother's chest.

"It hurts, _maman,_ i-i-it h-hurts s-so m-m-much" she stuttered as she slowly rubbed her flat toned stomach. Sabine held her safely in her arms and rocked her back and forth, quietly humming a Chinese lullaby she used to sing to Marinette when she was a baby.

Marinette spent her twentieth birthday curled up on her living room's couch, soundly asleep with slowly drying tear stains on her face.

Tom and Sabine had planned to celebrate right after closing the _boulangerie_ for the night but instead found themselves trying to keep their voices down in the kitchen as their daughter slept.

"She's my _bébé_ , she doesn't deserve this heartache at such a young age!" Tom grunted, almost breaking the white plate he held in his hands as he dried it with a kitchen towel.

Sabine quickly handed him a second plate to keep him occupied as she washed the rest of the dishes. "We know our daughter but… do we really know everything about her or what's going on in her life? I mean, sure she waited a bit longer than I did to get pregnant, although unintentionally, but it's not even Nathanaël's"

"She's trusted us with her secret and I admit that was hard. Hard for us to accept that she was putting herself in danger every single night for the city. I couldn't be prouder that we raised such a strong, brave young woman but," Tom paused, gripping the plate in his hand, "If Chat Noir showed his face ever again… I don't know what I'd do to him"

Sabine turned the faucet off and dried her hands. She lightly patted Tom's shoulder as he leaned down. She kissed his cheek and smiled up at him, "You're the greatest husband a wife could ever ask for. I know you mean well but this is for Marientte to decide, not us. If Chat Noir ever decides to show up and take full responsibility for his own actions in this situation, we will gladly accept him with opened arms, won't we?"

Tom grumbled something that didn't go unheard by Sabine as he nodded and silently agreed with his wife.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette moaned as her back hit the cool of the rustic designed wall. The sound of rushing water falling down gently from the water feature right next to her splashed small droplets of water, cooling her already scorching skin.

"Ad…Adrien…" she arched her back, chest touching his closer as her hands roamed through his hair.

Adrien held her tightly against the hallway's wall as he marked her entire neck and chest with hickeys. Maybe it was the five glasses of wine he had for dinner or maybe he was just that in-need for a woman's touch after so long but he felt insatiable.

He had a promise to keep.

What kind of gentleman would he be if he didn't keep to his word of making Marinette crawl and unable to walk for the rest of the week?

"B-bed-d-room-m?" Marinette panted as her wrapped legs squeezed him tighter.

Adrien groaned and barely managed to say, "T-t-too f-fa-ar"

He quickly picked her up as he stumbled with Marinette feverishly attacking his lips. Quickly they started to lose articles of clothing as Adrien managed to guide their joint bodies to his first living room. A spacious opened living room that divided into his large kitchen. The blood red silk curtains of his windows were wide opened and overlooking the city of Paris and the brightly lit Eiffel Tower.

The room was dim and romantic which was completely unintentional. Adrien usually left his penthouse dim whenever he wasn't home.

Adrien fell first to the carpeted floor with Marientte right on top of him. Maybe it was the five glasses of wine she had herself but she felt free, alive, but most of all - safe.

Marinette wholeheartedly giggled uncontrollably to the point she tried to cover both hands to her mouth to make her stop. They were stumbling around Adrien's dimly lit apartment with the only bright light coming from _La Tour Eiffel_ in the great distance. Marinette was stripped down to her red and black polka dotted bra and her black ripped short jeans were unbuttoned and desperately clinging onto her hips.

Adrien smiled up at her, adoring her genuine happiness as he caressed her cheek with his right hand while his left gripped her hip bone. He was stripped down to nothing but his unbuttoned jeans with his black boxer briefs peeking out and his white socks.

Marinette deeply blushed at the gesture as she realized she was straddling Paris' top supermodel Adrien Agreste.

She wasn't allowed to think more about it and continue to get embarrassed as Adrien brought her head down to meet his and crashed their lips together. The hunger and boldness that was fueled by their wine intake sparked once again.

Marinette was left gasping and moaning the entire night.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"YOU WHAT?!"

Marinette winced and moved her cellphone as far away from her ear for a split second.

"Alya, please ask any louder for all of Paris to hear you" Marinette held her head in her hands as she sat in her kitchen table. She had a hangover that she was trying to kill with a nice cup of c _ _afé_ au lait._

"You had sex with Adrien AGRESTE last night! When did this happen? HOW?! Spill girl! I want details!"

Marinette subconsciously rubbed her legs together and winced, moaning at the sensitivity.

Alya heard her as she smirked, Marinette couldn't see it but she could clearly picture it.

"He was that good, eh?" Alya grinned from ear to ear.

"Please don't ask for details…" Marinette begged, a bright blush spreading on her cheeks.

"Too late! I already did! So spill it, girl!"

"We just… kinda met one day at the laundromat. We became friends and with my big mouth I started to blabber on about how much my life sucks" Marinette briefly paused as she could hear Louis crying in the background.

"Don't worry, Louis just wanted his bottle that I warmed up. Okay, so go on…" Alya urged.

"We just… I don't know… we hit it off? We connected and he's a really good listener and so kind and funny and…"

"Amazing at sex" Alya interjected, snickering.

"Alya!" Marinette squeaked as she held tightly onto her phone. "Okay, yes! He is! But I'm no expert, he's like the second guy I've ever slept with!"

"Just make sure you don't get pregnant like the first time," Alya warned playfully, "wait, you know what - please do get pregnant by him"

"I'm not looking for a payout" Marinette deadpanned.

"I'm teasing! I'm joking, chill girl! You know I only want the best for you and will always look at for you" Alya paused as Louis giggled in her arms. "See? Louis agrees with me. We both love you very, very much _maman_ Marinette"

Marinette felt like crying, for a single moment in her life, she felt normal, at ease, and not constrained in her abusive relationship. She was so grateful to have Alya in her life who was more than a best friend but more like a life sister to her. She was also grateful that Nathanaël was so hung over from his solo whiskey party that he didn't suspect that Marinette came wobbling back home at nearly three in the morning.

"I love you and Louis very, very much!" Marinette puckered her lips and made a big kissy noise into her phone.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Ahh! Adrien!" Breathy moans, back arched, and nails sinking into hard back muscles leaving half-moon indents into lightly tanned skin.

"M-M-Marinette… !" Panting and frisky fevered activity.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Adrien was on cloud nine.

He never wanted to leave this feeling. Ever.

Marinette clouded his mind all day as he made his way to work at his family's company. Lately all his shoots had been indoors at the Gabriel Agreste building which he suspected had something to do with his dad wanting to keep a closer eye on him but he could care less at that moment.

All he could think about was her.

Marinette wanting.

Marinette needing.

Marinette begging for him.

Him.

Adrien's mind was so focused on replaying last night's events and sounds that he didn't pay attention when he suddenly stopped walking.

Adrien wasn't paying attention, as a big stupid grin spread on his face as his ego boosted higher knowing he had kept his promise. He was damn well sure of it.

Adrien suddenly came back down to earth when he felt a wet tongue lick his cheek.

Shivering, he snapped his head and found Lila winking. She wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke, "You're in a fantastic mood today, Adrien" she swung her head back giggling and then tried leaning in closer for a peck on the lips.

Adrien quickly unwound her arms from him and stepped aside, "It was short lived, Lila" he frowned.

"D'aww, don't be like that!" Lila playfully pouted as she tried grabbing his hand but he darted away and quickly ran for the security desk.

"I already told you" Adrien said loud and clear, his voice echoing throughout the nearly empty entrance as he silently greeted the security guard and headed for the elevators, "NO! A hundred-million times, NO!" he yelled and dashed into a slowly opening elevator.

Lila crossed her arms and rolled her eyes pretending not to hear him as she made her way to her own shoot inside the building.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Let me see the damage!" Alya begged as she quickly greeted Marinette with a kiss on both cheeks.

"Hello to you too" Marinette returned the gesture and shook her head as Alya handed Louis back to her. Marinette gave her son a big kiss on the forehead and carried him as Alya walked with the stroller.

"C'mon girl! My sex life is dry like the Sahara Desert at the moment. I need something hot! Nino has been swamped with work lately at like ten different night clubs"

"Fine, but first let's find somewhere for lunch"

"How about over there?" Alya suggested the first sign she saw.

It was _Coccinelle._

"Are you sure? It's a little out of my price range…" Marinette bit her bottom lip.

"Don't care, I'm buying! Consider it my treat for all the juicy gossip you're giving this young and gorgeous journalist"

Marinette laughed and agreed.

Sitting outside, they ordered their food and during their waiting, Marinette quickly pulled down her turtle neck and showed Alya her hickey covered neck.

Alya whistled, "If I didn't know any better, I would've thought those were bug bites"

Marinette felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, "I should've known he was that experienced"

Alya laughed heartily, "You're acting like such a virgin"

The waiter raised a questioning brow as he came at the end of what Alya said and set their food down. Both women thanked him and continued their conversation.

"So tell me, and I promise I'll stop my torture here"

"Oh _, merci beaucoup_ " Marinette sighed in relief.

"How many times did you do it last night?" Alya grinned as wide as the cheshire cat.

Marinette was glad she took a sip of her water and not her _Clos Cibonne Tibouren_ _Rosé_ wine. Nearly choking, she wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin and covered Louis ears. "Alya!" she hissed.

"Marinette" Alya repeated in the same tone as she swirled her own wine around and took a sip.

"Three times. We arrived around 21:00 and I came wobbling back home around 3:00. There, are you satisfied?" Marinette uncovered her son's ears and took a big sip from her wine, almost downing half her glass.

Alya whistled again, "Wow... his stamina is impressive and yes, very. Thank you"

Marinette pressed her elbows against the black clothed table and covered her hands on her heated face. "Is it too late to plead momentary insanity? I've never been… this… bold before with a guy in my life"

Alya rolled her eyes, "One, of course it's never too late to plead momentary insanity. Two, that's a load of crap because if you weren't bold enough then Louis wouldn't even be here! Mari, you're sexy and beautiful, funny, and so, so, kindhearted. Nathanaël isn't obviously doing it for you, you've clearly never even had sex with him once. ONCE. NEVER" Alya emphasized by lifting her arms and crossing them into a giant 'X' against her chest.

Marinette uncovered her face just in time to catch the last of what Alya was animatedly saying to her.

"If that asshole wasn't threatening to keep you in this messed up relationship, then I would gladly pay all the euros in the world to throw him into jail. You're bold and you're brave, girl, and I know that you'll be set free with Adrien by your side"

Marinette felt hopeful.

It was one of Alya's many charms and talents that Marinette was grateful for. Alya knew exactly how to motivate her whenever she felt down or hopeless or even unattractive.

"And if Adrien wasn't even a part of this complicated abstract picture and I wasn't a married woman then you know I would've married you in a heartbeat just to steal you away from that jerk" Alya finished.

Marinette smiled and agreed, "I know you would"

"So, now tell me…" Alya started.

"Alya, I thought you said you were done" Marinette groaned.

"A journalist's job is never done when she's got her lead scoop!"

"Ugh… fine. Fire away"

"Where does Paris' top supermodel and people of his rare species reside?"

"In two-story penthouse luxury apartments overlooking the Eiffel Tower, that's where"

Alya whistled for the third time that day.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Adrien, please" Marinette giggled as Adrien's taller figure towered over hers and caged her to a hidden tree right outside his apartment. He kissed her cheek and tickled her exposed abdomen.

Marinette styled her hair in a messy bun with wavy curls, a white laced cardigan, lavender sleeveless turtleneck crop top, a short white laced circle skirt with lavender Mary Jane heels.

Adrien left his shoot in a hurry just to meet her on time keeping on what he had modeled for the day - messy hair reminiscent of his Chat Noir days, a Gabriel Agreste simple white t-shirt with ripped grey jeans, and brown leather boots.

Adrien kissed Marinette on the lips as he stopped tickling her in order to hear Marinette moan into his mouth. He held her hands as their bodies moved in sync.

"A-A-Adrien… we should go" she heavily panted and pulled back before things got any more heated.

Adrien looked at her with hazy eyes and nodded his head, "You're right. We have the rest of the night" he took her hand into his as they walked towards his car.

Marinette quickly stopped their walking causing Adrien to turn around.

"Do you think… No, could we please walk?" Marinette asked hesitantly, "I'd really like to spend as much time with you as possible while holding your hand" she quickly blushed.

Adrien chuckled and pulled her closer to kiss her on the forehead, "You're too cute. Of course, Marinette"

Marinette's heart skipped a beat.

They walked hand in hand to the nearest grocery store.

She couldn't wait for what the rest of the night might hold.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

I don't have much to say other than – Marinette has fallen deep and fast for our number one pretty boy, err... I mean, Adrien.

Dun dun dun.

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]


	5. Tu As De Beaux Yeux

AN: Thank you so much for the continued support and reviews! I know that times are getting rough here on FF with everyone migrating to AO3 but honestly, from the bottom of my heart – I'm a proud and loyal FF member (that's been here for over 10 years. Whoa!) and being able to receive any kind of feedback makes my day!

I truthfully believe that a Rated T story can dance around that brim of the Rated M realm. If anyone of you have seen American teen romantic comedies (films) from the 1980's then you'll know _exactly_ what I mean.

Happy reading~

Tu As De Beaux Yeux

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Push, Marinette! Push!" Sabine held onto her daughter's hand in one hand and with the other she wiped away the sweat on Marinette's forehead.

"I-I-I'm t-try-i-ing!" Marinette deeply gasped and cried.

A twenty year old Marinette gave birth to a son.

That day, she decided to lend a hand to her parents and help around the bakery. For a petite young woman such as herself, she worked hard every single day despite the protruding mini watermelon that was her stomach.

Tom was against his very pregnant daughter from working the front counter of the bakery but he allowed it after Sabine gave the approval, she too didn't want Marinette pushing herself too hard but knew how incredibly stubborn and determined her daughter could be - a trait that was passed down every Cheng woman.

It had been a slow day and the family decided to close early seeing as how little customers they started to get by the evening. Marinette was bending down as far as her stomach would allow her in order to take a tray of _croissants_ out.

She gasped when she felt something wet start soaking her black cotton maternity jeans. Dropping the tray with a loud clank, it echoed throughout the empty bakery. Her parents had just left her alone to go upstairs; she told them that she'd be more than capable closing by herself for once.

" _MAMAN! PAPA!"_ Marinette yelled, her heart starting to quicken. Her hands got shaky as she started to panic. "MY WATER BROKE!'

The rest of the night was all a blur to her.

A rushed welcome to the hospital, a quick seated ride in a wheelchair, a room with four white walls, hours and hours of excruciating pain, crying and yelling, and she was pretty sure her dad fainted a couple of times while filming the birth.

It all suddenly came to a halt when a newborn's cry filled the room.

Marinette held her fuzzy little creature in her arms and cried even more.

She was exhausted but also filled with the most love she had ever felt in the entire universe for one person alone.

This unexplainable feeling must have been the same love that her own mother, Sabine had felt when she too was born.

"I love you. I love you to the moon and back, Louis"

Marinette kissed his tiny hands and forehead.

Soon after, she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Louis was born with a small patch of blonde hair and hazel-green eyes.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So… why did we come to the market?" Marinette asked, rolling a cart into the grocery store.

Adrien smirked, "Why else? Other than for ingredients for dinner tonight, of course"

Marinette raised a curious brow, "Thee Adrien Agreste, Paris' one and only Fashion Prince knows how to cook?"

"Surprised, M'Lady?" Adrien chuckled.

"A bit, yeah" Marinette confessed.

"Harsh" Adrien playfully rolled his eyes, "I was an only child raised amongst world class top chefs as my only friends in my youth. I needed something to occupy my time at home with, needed who to talk with. Our chefs didn't often change so I was able to learn how to _sauté_ , _flambé_ , _etude, cuire,_ debone, thinly slice, make sauces, how to properly gut out and clean meats and fishes, you name it. I can do it all in the kitchen except for baking, my pastry and bread making skills are… quite lacking"

Marinette was impressed and touched. Adrien's childhood may had been a sad and lonely one but he was able to find the good, the positive in his experiences. He made the most of his situation. "Now that's my department of expertise" she chimed in.

"Oh?" Adrien was intrigued.

Marinette nodded, "My parents own their own bakery. They bake fresh bread and pastries daily. I grew up above a bakery, I could teach you some of our easier recipes, you know, for a novice baker such as yourself"

Adrien wholeheartedly laughed at that and agreed. He leaned in and quickly pecked Marinette's cheek, "I'll be looking forward to that day" he said.

Marinette blushed as she drove the shopping cart in the direction Adrien was heading towards.

"So what are we making tonight?" Marinette curiously asked.

"We?" Adrien asked as he shook his head, "I'm spoiling you tonight, there's no need for help and besides, it's a secret"

Marinette puckered her lips and frowned, "I really don't mind helping you"

Adrien kept his stance firm as he pulled the front of the cart towards an aisle filled with cans and jars. "Nope. No can do, M'Lady. I want to treat you like the Princess you are"

Marinette's grip let go of the cart's handle as Adrien concentrated on what he was searching for. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his chin with a finger as he looked over all the brands.

Marinette, a princess? Did he really see her in such high regard?

A bruised up, miserable, single mother such as herself… could she really be considered a princess?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Adrien watched a shocked into silence Marinette from the corner of his eye as a mischievous smirk formed on his lips.

He walked closer to the end of the aisle without a word, making sure that Marinette stayed in that aisle near their shopping cart. He swiftly turned into the next aisle row and ran towards the front of the aisle he left Marinette in so that he could sneak up behind her.

Marinette was still deep in thought that she didn't notice when Adrien disappeared and only came back to realize this when she felt familiar hands on her bare skin, her crop top lifted a bit as the intruding hands effortlessly lifted her and quickly put her into the shopping cart.

Marinette had no time to react as she gasped at the sudden cold of the metal of the cart touching her exposed stomach. Turning around, she was glad she didn't get whiplash as she found Adrien leaning against the cart's handle. His face was close enough to hers that he closed the gap with a playful kiss on her lips.

"What are you doing?" Marinette asked, giggling.

Adrien started moving the cart as Marinette adjusted her legs so that no one could see up her skirt. "I'm taking you away in your royal carriage, Princess"

"A shopping cart, how romantic" Marinette laughed.

"Hey, it's the best I could do on such short notice. Cut me some slack" Adrien winked at her, using some Americanized slang he's picked up from modeling overseas.

Marinette nodded, "Fine, fine. All is forgiven" she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Or do you prefer a royal speed car instead?" He quickly picked up the pace on the shopping cart with Marinette seated on her knees inside. He didn't wait for her answer as she squeaked and held on tightly to the sides of the cart.

"A-A-Adrien!" Marinette closed her eyes for a brief moment as she felt the small gust of wind hit her face.

Adrien ran through the aisles of the store with ease, maneuvering through crowds of people, other shopping carts in the way, narrow passages, all while picking up every ingredients he needed for his surprise dinner for Marinette.

He would run towards an aisle and jump onto the cart itself as he rushed by all the rows of food. He'd quickly jump off whenever he needed a specific item or just grab it off the shelf as he sped by.

Marientte opened her eyes as she held onto the items inside the cart with her. She felt the adrenaline of the rush of excitement flowing and pulsating through her. She could remember the last time she felt this thrill - it was whenever she was running, leaping, and swinging off the rooftops of Paris with her partner - Chat Noir

Marinette looked up at a distracted Adrien whose taller figure casted a protective shadow over her. She watched the glee in his eyes and the amused smirk on his lips as he rode with her throughout the store.

Marinette was falling in love.

Her heart thumped and skipped a beat.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Wow…" Marientte breathed, "Now that I'm actually looking at your apartment, it's beautiful"

Adrien kicked the front door closed with his foot as he headed towards his kitchen with bags in his hands. "Eh, it's alright" he shrugged.

Marinette scoffed, "Says the guy who could probably buy a small private island"

Adrien set the bags down on his black marble island counter as Marinette walked in, in awe of everything. "Small? I think you meant full size" he winked.

Marinette shook her head, "So what's on the menu tonight, _Monsieur Agreste?"_

"A surprise"

"What kind of surprise?"

"A flavorful one"

"Adrien…"

"Marinette…" Adrien mimicked in the same tone as her with a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Why don't you go get comfortable in the living room? Or if you'd like, feel free to go explore the entire place"

Marinette immediately shook her head and jumped on top of the black marble kitchen island counter. "Nah, I think I'd much rather stay here with you and see what the Grand Chef Agreste will be surprising my taste palate with"

Adrien snorted, "Are you that worried about my cooking skills?"

Marinette shook her head, "Of course not. I don't doubt your skills, it's not everyday a girl gets a meal cooked for her by an famous supermodel"

Adrien playfully rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, "I am a model but I'm definitely not super"

"That's debatable… depending on who you ask that is" she winked.

Adrien chuckled and nodded, "Okay, you win this round" he said and finished separating the groceries.

While getting everything ready to prep, from the corner of his eye Adrien noticed Marinette sitting on the edge of his counter with her arms extended behind her back as she arched her body with her palms firmly placed on the counter. Her long legs crossed and gaining his utmost attention. She looked inviting and intoxicating.

The poor guy was helplessly enamored and mesmerized by the beauty before him.

His thoughts quickly evaporated into thin air when his phone dinged to inform him that a text message came through. Quickly unlocking his phone, he looked at the screen and nearly dropped his phone into the skillet he had just set on the stove to heat up.

"Need a hand?" Marinette asked titling her neck to look in his direction.

Adrien immediately turned off his phone and threw it across the room. He heard it land somewhere in the hallway entrance.

"Uh, no! Everything's fine! You just sit there, Marinette!" Adrien clutched his chest and tried calming down. He swore in that very moment that he'd change his number and get a new phone, he didn't need Lila spamming him with nude shots when he wasn't interested and hadn't been in quite some time.

"Hmm…" Marinette licked her lips and shrugged her shoulders, "If you say so"

Adrien gripped the skillet's handle and tried focusing back on the task at hand. His annoyance quickly evaporated with the way Marinette was teasing him. She may have plead innocence but he knew that the beauty before him was purposely getting him riled up.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he calmed down once again and continued with his dinner plans. They stayed in complete comfortable silence for the most part, occasionally Marinette would ask him about the ingredients she noticed him using or switching the conversation to silly stories about their daily lives.

Marinette's days consisted of avoiding Nathanaël for as long as humanly possible and spending as much time with Alya and in rare moments with Nino as well. Most of her happy silly stories came from whenever she was with Alya.

Adrien's days consisted of booked schedules filled to the brim but it wasn't all bad for the model. As much as he hated to admit it, some of his funnier silly stories came from the great lengths he took to avoid Lila and mishaps that happen while traveling with his crew.

"…And then my best friend Alya had to use lube in order to get my hand unstuck from the jar. I was sooo embarrassed! She told me she ran out of butter and oil so she used the next best thing. Ahh… I swear, I'm doomed to be clumsy" Marinette laughed, finishing the story she just told Adrien of the time she accidentally stuck her entire left hand into a glass jar when she finished all the chocolates inside.

Adrien watched as her smile reached her bright blue eyes, sparkling and dazzling. It was beautiful.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So, what's for dessert?" Marinette asked, still giggling at retelling her fond memories.

Adrien set the cooked food to the side of the stove and turned off everything. He turned around to the sink near her and washed his hands quietly.

She curiously watched him, titling her head and slightly raising her body a bit to take a sip of wine that he had offered her while cooking.

Adrien continued to hungrily stare at her happy expression as he wiped his hands dry on a kitchen towel and then surprised her by placing his hands on either sides of her sitting form.

"You" he simply said, gently taking her right hand and planting kisses all up her arm.

Marinette furiously blushed and gasped when she felt his other hand caressing her thigh and slowly moving his hand underneath her skirt. She subconsciously uncrossed and spread her legs for him.

Moaning at the sensation of his long lean fingers dancing around the corner of her panties, she arched her body back, neck extended long as his taller figure hungrily attacked her neck. Sucking and biting, Adrien groaned at the strong emotions he had for her. He had to control himself from not having her right there on his kitchen counter.

In the background, the Eiffel Tower stood proud as it illuminated the entire city while inside Adrien's penthouse, he had turned Marinette into instant putty in his hands.

"A-A-Adr…ien…" Marinette gasped as she felt his skillful fingers doing wonders on her lower region. "t-t-the foooood…" she moaned out, trying to remind him with a clear mind.

Adrien moved his hands away, hearing Marinette whimper at the loss of contact. Bending his body over lower, his nose ran along her inner thighs as he kept her legs spread. Kissing her inner thighs, he pulled back at her words and closed her legs.

"Later" he simply said as he stood straight, he kept his gaze on his work - Marinette panting and wanting him on his kitchen counter.

He extended his arms, inviting her to jump straight into them as she did so. She quickly unstrapped her lavender Mary Jane heels and let her hair fall down in wavy dark tresses from her messy bun. She pushed herself off the counter and into Adrien's big strong secure arms.

She giggled, "You drive me crazy, _M. Agreste_ " she said with her crazily beating heart like that of a hummingbird's.

Adrien felt the same way, as he held her in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. He leaned forward giving her a chaste kiss. " _Touché_ _,_ _Mlle. Dupain-Cheng_ "

Marinette started to laugh when he playfully nuzzled her neck and gave her light butterfly kisses all over her neck and face making her ticklish as he made his way upstairs with her.

"Hmm… you're quite sensitive" Adrien simply said, leaving Marientte to blush once more.

"I… can't help it" she mumbled into his shoulder, hiding away her burning face.

"I want to see more of it though" he confessed as he finally reached his master bedroom down the upstairs hall.

Marinette gasped as the cool of his black comforter and pillows touched her hot body. She felt the bed give into both their weights on the bed but quickly lighten as Adrien got off the bed and walked over to his large windows. Pulling the curtains apart, he let in the night's natural moon light into the otherwise dark room. The Eiffel Tower could still be seen from his room's view.

She waited for him to return and was rewarded not long after with his presence as he climbed onto his bed and instantly captured her lips.

That night, Adrien made love to Marinette again. And again. And again.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette laid sleepy on her side facing Adrien as he leaned facing her with his elbow propped on a pillow, watching her as she slowly fell into the clutches of sleep.

"Adrien… the food…" she softly reminded him, her eyes closed as she pulled the covers over her chest.

Adrien chuckled and gently tucked strands of loose hair behind her ear. His own body was covered from the waist down with the covers.

Marinette was unbelievably adorable as he tried keeping his hands away from her but he needed to touch her. Constantly wanting to feel her in anyway he could.

He slightly leaned his body over to give her a kiss on her forehead. Her scent of sweat, sex, and French vanilla shampoo wafted through his senses; both body and mind memorizing it.

"I promise, I'll make it up to you" he quietly told her, amused by her disappointment in not getting to try the food he made.

She nodded with a sleepy, "Okay" and soon fell asleep.

Adrien fell asleep not long after, holding her securely in his arms as her head laid comfortably on his chest. He fell asleep with the sweet scent of vanilla pleasantly invading his dreams.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Well, well, well, look what the cat's dragged in" Alya smirked, taking a sip of her wine.

"I wasn't dragged anywhere, I volunteered" Marinette smirked and titled her head, "wine this early in the morning? Either you have good news to tell me or bad news"

Alya wiggled her eyebrows in good spirits causing Marinette to laugh and lean down to kiss her friend on both cheeks.

Alay returned the gesture and invited Marinette to sit across the table from her.

Right after Marinette awoke that morning, she was about to get dressed and leave Adrien a note, needing to leave early so she could meet up with Alya at a _café_ they both agreed on. She decided that this wasn't a one night stand type of deal as she wrapped her body in Adrien's covers and knocked on his bathroom door. Marinette could hear the water running.

Adrien opened the door and pulled her in; his body already wet. Marinette let out a small squeak in surprise, dropping the blanket. And that's how she had morning sex in his fancy black stone waterfall shower. She could have sworn that the shower's ceilings lights glowed a bright green but was too preoccupied to take notice of all his bathroom's interior design features as he had his way with her on the stone wall.

"Earth to Marinette!" Alya waved her hand back and forth in front of her best friend's face. Marinette quickly snapped out of her thoughts and blinked a couple of times.

"Hmm?" she asked, causing Alya to playfully roll her eyes.

"I know he's that good, hell, let's just call him a Sex God and get over it but I need you right now girl! I'm dying to tell you some good news" Alya laughed, "Damn. If this keeps up, I might just have to steal you away myself. I'm sure Nino will understand the reason why our marriage failed"

Marinette blushed and bit her bottom lip, "I think… I'm falling in love, Alya" she softly confessed, thoughtfully.

Alya nearly spat out her drink of wine as she waited for Marinette to elaborate.

"The sex is an added bonus but… he, he makes me laugh, he's a great listener, and when I tell him my problems, I know that he's genuinely concerned. He always keeps me on my toes, anticipating his next surprise and what he'll be doing next. When he holds me in his arms, I know that for that split second, in that short moment that I'm safe and won't get physically abused. He treats me right… like a Princess, but I'm scared" Marinette admitted and averted her eyes from Alya's curious ones.

"Why?" Alya asked.

"Louis" she deeply sighed, "I'm terrified of knowing if he doesn't approve of kids, if he doesn't want any. I've already screwed up how to go about this new relationship with him. I'm failing in love and lying to him at the same time. I'm petrified, Alya. I should just… stop whatever this is before it gets too out of hand. Louis and I are a packaged deal. Louis' father may not have wanted me and Nathanaël is being a total asshole trying to keep me by threatening me with legal court custody but I can't be with someone I genuinely think I may love if they can't love Louis as well. I'm not about to ship off my kid to a monastery for nuns to raise instead of me"

Alya nodded, "Of course you can't. Love isn't worth it if it means sacrificing your own flesh and blood for it. Girl, I hear you, I seriously do but I beg you to not throw away what little good you have just out of fear. I haven't personally met the guy yet but with all I know already, I can feel it in my bones - Adrien isn't going to be like that"

Marinette took a sip from Alya's wine and sighed again, "I hope so… I just need to find the right time to tell him that I'm a single mom in a super shitty, messed up situation"

Alya smiled at that, "He knows half of that already and lucky for you, the good news I'm dying to tell you just might help give you that boost!"

Marinette raised a brow at this and urged her to continue.

"Nino, my beloved husband of nearly three years finally got a vacation opportunity! Okay, so he has to play one gig but hey I'll take anything!"

"Where's he DJ-ing?"

"Milan! Italy, girl! A weekend mini-vacation! And before you tell me about how you cant afford the trip, no worries! Nino is paying for everything, he made arrangements for four people"

"Do you think we could visit all the fashion houses?!" Marinette asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want, bestie!" Alya bounced in her seat.

Marinette squealed and squeezed Alya's hand across the table in a silent thank you.

"So I'm guessing you want me to invite Adrien?"

"Hell yeah I do! I wanna meet my future brother-in-law!"

Marinette blushed at the thought of being married to Adrien.

"I'm still on Louis duties and I'll let your mom know she can have him for the rest of the week and weekend"

"Thanks, Alya. So we're leaving this upcoming weekend?"

"Yup! Party weekend!"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The sun was setting in the horizon as the busy laundromat slowly lessened with people as they left one by one.

Marinette was left alone in the laundromat, waiting for her clothes to finish washing so she could move onto the dryers.

Her body was facing a machine with her back to the entrance door, unaware of the door opening as someone entered. She hummed a tune she heard earlier on the radio and had her arms crossed as she watched her one load; the cycle spinning around with soapy water.

Marinette stilled as strong arms quickly wrapped around her waist, a taller body right behind her. She noticed the silver ring on his right ring finger and immediately relaxed into his touch.

"Sorry, I'm late and that I didn't bring any clothes to wash today" Adrien whispered into her ear.

Marinette smiled and placed her hands on top of his, "Busy shoot?" she asked.

Adrien chuckled a yes, the vibrations sending shivers down Marinette's body.

"My photographer Vincent misplaced some of his camera's lenses and the newer models weren't being very cooperative"

"Hmm… typical. My greatest fear is new and very demanding models once I'm a fashion designer. Not so much the fact that someone might not like my design but just dealing with… divas"

Adrien remembered one of their long talks, how Marinette casually brought up her hopes and dreams of becoming a known fashion designer someday. During one of their laundromat escapades, they played a round of twenty questions and he learned more about her that day that he didn't previously know. His shock and excitement for her to enter the fashion world was more than she could ever ask for. Besides her parents, Tikki, and two friends, Marinette didn't often meet many people that were very encouraging of her pursuing a career in the harsh and cruel world of fashion.

"Their bark is much stronger than their bite, they're harmless for the most part. There's occasional hair pulling and name calling and ripped clothes but," he shrugged, "I know that you'll be an amazing fashion designer someday, Marinette. The newbies are nothing to fret over" Adrien rocked her slowly in his arms. She sighed and agreed with an amused giggle.

"Look out world, here comes Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" she cheered on quietly, momentarily closing her eyes.

Adrien would've preferred if her last name were Agreste but he quickly shook that idea out of his mind and focused on something else to say.

"Would you like to accompany me to _Coccinelle_ for dinner?" he asked as her clothes stopped in the washer with a beep alerting them.

"You could leave your clothes drying here or we could wait until you're done and just leave it in my car" he added.

Normally, Marinette would never object to staying out late in the city for as long as possible just so that she wouldn't need to go home any time soon. She didn't want to deal with Nathanaël's drinking and pity parties when he was drunk.

Lately she hadn't been home whenever Nathanaël was home as well, it had been a couple of days now that she was purposely avoiding him. She knew that sooner or later he'd question her and accuse her of something. She really shouldn't gamble her odds and just go home early for once.

"Hmm… " she started, "it's tempting"

"Just dinner. I promise I'll behave" he pleaded with the most convincing bright green eyes she's ever seen.

"Dammit, Agreste" Marinette tried saying in a semi-serious tone but failed when a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, of course he couldn't see it because he was still holding onto her waist. She nodded her head and earned a kiss on the cheek as Adrien let go of her waist to face her instead.

"The art of persuasion is one of my many talents. Keeping my hands to myself is the challenge" he said as he hovered over her shorter figure and titled her head with a finger.

She looked deep into his mesmerizing green eyes, it was like staring into two emerald gems that had a light being shined right into them.

"Adrien…"

"Yes?"

"I think I lo-" Marinette bit her inner cheek hard, stopping herself from finishing that sentence and possibly scaring him away. She shook her head and cleared her throat as he waited for her to continue.

"I think I should finish my laundry first before dinner! I'm almost done and… uhh… while we're here, I want to ask you something"

Adrien titled his head, his heart thundering in his chest from what she previously almost said. He didn't want to get his hopes up and feigned being oblivious.

"You can ask me anything, Princess. I'm at your beck and call" he encouraged.

Marinette looked down at her clasped hands and twiddled her thumbs together, "You see… my best friend Alya's husband is a DJ. He gets to travel all over Europe and the world from time to time. I've never personally left Paris before… because I can't afford it but my friend invited me to go to Milan for the weekend and said I could take a plus one"

"Are you asking me to be your plus one?"

"Yes, I am" she nodded, "if you're busy next weekend then I completely understand!" she nervously finished. She didn't think it would be this never-wracking to ask him out on an away mini-vacation of sorts. It's not like they were going to be left all alone together but knowing Alya – Marinette wouldn't be surprised if her sneaky friend had something in mind.

"I'd love to!" Adrien enthusiastically said, smiling.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Can I just say that I absolutely love describing the details of Adrien's penthouse. Like, can I please live there?! A grand apartment overlooking the Eiffel Tower… this rich boy makes this peasant author very jealous. LOL.

Before I forget to say this - Louis was a blonde as a baby but like some blondes, his hair gradually darkened as he got older. His hair will be described as black in future chapters.

This chapter was originally going to have more Nathanaël in it but then I thought, "Screw Nathanaël!" so he wasn't included this time around.

Next up: a weekend away in Milan with a storm slowly brewing.

Will Marinette tell Adrien about Louis? Will she tell him that she actually loves him? And what about Adrien? His personal thoughts and feeling about having kids and starting an official relationship with Marinette? Who knows! You'll just have to keep on reading in order to find out. ;)

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


	6. Je Ne Peux Pas Vivre Sans Toi

AN: Marinette has a passport, she just has never gotten to use it before.

This flashback is the lengthiest one so far.

Happy reading~

Je Ne Peux Pas Vivre Sans Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Lucky… charm!" Ladybug wheezed as her lungs filled with smoke. Coughing into her arm, she narrowed her eyes trying to keep her vision as the small magical ladybugs casted their bright lit magic over everything to return it back to normal.

This was it, this was the end of Hawkmoth.

"Chat?" Ladybug called out as she watched the magic of her miraculous work on restoring the burning secret base they were in. She couldn't see him in all the smoke but only heard him yell a painful, "YOU!"

Just as she managed to locate her partner, she watched as he dragged Hawkmoth away from her view. She could faintly make out hair instead of where a mask once resided on Hawkmoth's face but she couldn't tell who he was.

Ladybug continued to cough, having little strength left to stop her partner from doing whatever he was doing to Hawkmoth. He may had been their mortal enemy for pretty much all of her youth but he still deserved forgiveness and mercy.

Wincing, she wiped at the blood trickling down her forehead smearing it in the process as she followed the path that her lucky charm set out for her. Seeing the light of an exit, she had to get out before passing out. Limping her way out, Ladybug hoped that that's what Chat Noir was doing as well.

She trusted in her partner, she knew he'd do the right thing.

Once out of the secret base that Hawkmoth had used for many years, Ladybug greedily took in a lungful of fresh air. Dragging her injured bleeding leg, she threw herself on the floor and waited for Chat Noir.

She didn't have forever, the five minute timer had started ticking as soon as she released her power. At that moment she didn't care if her partner found out about her secret identity. She just wanted to know he was safe.

"Chat Noir! Where are you?" She called out, clearer than before.

In the distance she could hear him, it sounded like he said, "All this time… All this time I've been risking my very life for your reckless behavior. She's gone! Don't you understand that? No amount of magic on this earth will ever change that! You've put countless of lives at stake and for what? A myth!" Did she really hear him correctly or was her head filled with so much smoke that it made her imagine things? Who was this female that Chat Noir was angrily and with much pain shouting about?

Ladybug didn't know, didn't have the answers to these new questions. All she did know was that she was seeing blurred blotches of light as she passed out from the exhaustion.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Ladybug abruptly woke up from whatever deep realm of sleep she was in and started to panic when she found herself on a plush bed from a… hotel room?

"Wha-" she began and paused as she found a dark figure sitting at the edge of the bed. His back was hunched over but she could make out the faint glow of his illuminated blonde hair that the opened curtain's moonlight created.

"Chat?" She cautiously asked.

Chat Noir deeply exhaled like he was holding in his breath for a very long time. "You're awake" he whispered, relieved but not sounding quite like himself.

Ladybug touched her face and felt the outline of her mask. She figured that after she passed out, Tikki must have taken a break and then transformed her back again before Chat Noir made his way back from wherever he took the recently saved Hawkmoth.

Surprised, Ladybug's wounds were healed or at least they were healed enough where she could crawl on the bed and reach Chat Noir without much discomfort. As she got closer to him, she could make out his cat ears on the top of his head. Smiling, she too was relieved that he was in one piece.

Gently she wrapped her arms over his shoulders, her chest rested on his cold back. Her movement caused his bell to jingle as she pressed her lips to the top of the back of his head. Her heart thumped and skipped a beat as she felt his gloved hands touch her wrapped arms over him, his claws ghosted over her warm bodysuit covered arms.

"Chat, how's your chest?" Ladybug whispered back in the same tone he used except she was relieved and worried. During their final battle against Hawkmoth, Chat had suffered a chest wound while she only had her leg to worry about.

Chat silently pulled her arms off his shoulders and guided her hands to his chest. "It hurts but I'll manage. Your lucky charm healed the nasty gash" he said simply and left them in continued silence for a few minutes.

He knew that she was preparing herself to ask him what she really wanted to know. He had to mentally prepare himself as well.

"Chat… what did you do with Hawkmoth?" There it was, the question he had purposely been avoiding.

Chat Noir gulped and cleared his throat, the sensation vibrated through Ladybug as they were still in close proximity. "I took care of it, don't worry about it. I didn't hurt him, I promise. He's safe and back to his normal self. Unlike the others we've dealt with, Hawkmoth still has recollection of what he's done"

Ladybug bit her lower lip and quickly asked, "Who was he? Anyone we might know?"

Chat Noir gritted his teeth, "No, I don't know" he lied.

Ladybug nodded her head against his head and believed him. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're finally free"

Chat Noir felt hollow inside. Her words of happiness meant nothing to him as he gripped her wrists with light pressure and caused her to briefly let go of him.

Taken back by his sudden actions, Ladybug stilled as she watched him silently stand up from the bed and turn around placing one knee on the bed adding weight to the mattress as he quickly took hold of her face with both hands. Pulling her in again, Chat Noir roughly crashed his lips against hers.

Ladybug moaned into his mouth as her hands hastily swept into his messy blonde locks. Chat Noir attacked her lips with such need that he slowly found himself fully on the bed, his body straddling his partner of more than five years.

In that time, she had grown in more ways than one. Ladybug no longer had the body of a young teen but that of a young woman; longer hair, fuller lips, chest, curves, and while she was still shorter than him, she did grow slightly taller. Mentality wiser but she was still the same excited yet scared person she had been since the very beginning.

He too had grown, both in height and maturity, his voice dropped and his body still lean but fuller, broader, and more defined. Chat Noir was no longer that enthusiastic young boy that was thrown into a magical war, he was now a hardened young man by its end.

Ladybug couldn't believe it. She was alone in some hotel room with the one person that could give her butterflies in her stomach. She was making out with Chat Noir and trying to keep her cool so that her heart wouldn't leap out of her chest at any moment. It was hard to concentrate and think about anything else other than the tingling electric feeling that he left on her scorching skin.

Did this mean that he too wanted to know? She was tired of the secrets already and just wanted to see if his future had her in his plans. There was nothing more that she wanted in life than to hold his affection.

Countless of times, she had rejected his playful teasing and flirting but it was those same silly cat puns and smiles directed her way that made her slowly fall in love with him.

When you hold the weight of the world on both of your shoulders, even though she knew she wasn't doing this alone. It felt like a dream, something impossible to imagine that balancing love and saving the world at the same time could be accomplished. Now that Hawkmoth was out of their way, she had no reason nor objections to deny herself that anymore.

She only hoped that he still felt the same way about her after all these years.

Ladybug was now ready to fully give herself and her heart to him but Chat Noir wasn't and hadn't been ever since he found out the truth about Hawkmoth and his motives.

"Please make love to me" Chat Noir quietly pleaded. He felt numb inside and as much as he wanted to cry, he couldn't. He was angry, hurt, confused, and mentally distant.

He knew that what he was doing was wrong. Leading on his dearest friend and making her believe that this was something more than a one-night stand. In that moment he didn't recognize himself. He thought that by indulging in pleasure that he could momentarily forget about his new revelations. In the pit of his stomach he knew that this was doing more harm than good but he just didn't care.

Ladybug couldn't believe her ears as her mind tried to process what he just said. Nodding her head, she gave him permission as they both returned to their civilian forms.

It was dark in the room and the only thing that she could make out were faint features of his face. His once dazzling emerald green eyes looked dead inside.

Ladybug frowned, not knowing what was wrong with him. That whole day, he had been acting weird and she didn't want him to snap at her so she was careful in what she said or asked him.

Her worried thoughts soon evaporated into nothing as Chat Noir took the lead and had his way with her. He was gentle yet rough and didn't apologize for his actions. He was bold and taking the lead, something that was foreign to Ladybug. She didn't complain, after all she was inexperienced in this field and didn't know if her heart could take it if she knew Chat was experienced.

It was short lived but for a single moment Ladybug felt bliss.

She felt like the luckiest girl in the world despite not knowing each other's identities.

It was short lived but it didn't help Chat Noir feel any better.

He felt lost and even worse than before.

Ladybug soon fell into a peaceful sleep and during that time Chat Noir simply left.

No explanation attached, he just left the one girl that knew the real him.

The one girl who, for years he tried to woo with his playful silliness.

The one girl that he never knew loved him back.

In the morning, Ladybug was devastated.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Next time I ask for breakfast, it better not be this crap!" Nathanaël yelled as he kicked the small wooden table, porcelain and silverware came crashing down. Both his hands strangled Marinette, shaking her side to side.

Marinette gasped and tried reaching for the kitchen counter with one hand and the other was tapping Nathanaël's arm begging him to release her.

"Do you honestly think that a meager _crepe_ and a cup of coffee would be enough to get me through the day?!" He continued yelling as Marinette was quickly turning red.

Marinette was grateful that Louis wasn't here to hear any of this because dealing with a crying baby and Nathanaël were both stressful tasks when combined.

Compared to being stabbed and breaking multiple bones during her days as Ladybug - it was nothing compared to dealing with Nathanaël whether he was sober or drunk. Marinette kept her cool and managed to take hold of the nearest frying pan she left on the kitchen counter. Gripping the handle, she tightened her hand around it and aimed for Nathanaël's head.

Smacking him once, hard, he stumbled back and grabbed his head.

"You little bitch!" Nathanaël roared as he rammed his way towards her but Marinette quickly jumped onto the kitchen counter and slid her way past him causing him to crash into the hard tile.

"I'm leaving, Nathanaël! Don't come looking for me!" She yelled at him as she ran towards the entrance.

She highly doubted that he'd remember any of this in a few hours. His speech wasn't slurred but she knew that he had been drinking from the stench of whiskey on his breath.

Marinette fought the urge to cry as her lips trembled and her eyes stung. Once the adrenaline wore down, she started to feel the effects of Nathanaël nearly killing her by choking her. If that wasn't bad enough, she had gotten into yet another heated argument with him the night before.

He was acting jealous and suspicious of her so as soon as she let her guard down for a split second, Nathanaël had her being dragged by her hair into her room and whipped out his belt to hit her with on her bare back.

The lashes of the leather were still raw and aching but she knew they looked worse than they actually were. Marinette sighed, there went her plans of wearing a bikini on her mini-vacation. She was stuck wearing clothes that completely covered her body. She was already petite as it is, adding baggy clothes into the equation only made it seem like her clothes were eating her and that she lived in gym fashion.

Marinette was giving herself an imaginary pat on the back as she thanked her brain for telling her to pack her luggage days before and to leave it all at Alya's. That way she didn't have to deal with Nathanaël back home and could be there when her mom would come to pick up Louis from Alya's place.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Marinette, you know how worried I am about you but this isn't the first time Nathanaël has tried something as bad as this" Tikki said, appearing from Marinette's small purse.

"I know, Tikki. I'm way too exhausted and stressed out. I don't care what he'll try to pull on me now, I'm taking Louis and leaving. Nathanaël can't touch me when he knows he isn't the father of my child" Marinette's eyes burned with a fiery passion and determination that Tikki admittedly, thought she'd never see again and had missed.

Smiling, Tikki gently patted Marinette's hand and flew back into her hiding spot. "I know you mean it this time" she said from inside the purse as Marinette nodded and balled her hands into fists.

This had been the last straw for Nathanaël. She wasn't stupid enough to think that he'd ever change, that he'd ever go back to being the same kind, creative, and energetic guy that she first started to date. Hopes for that ever happening again were long thrown out the window eons ago.

She felt like she only had herself to blame, for being so scared of Nathanaël's half-empty threats about how he'd pull whatever hallucinatory connections he had with the court system and how he'd take away all her custody rights away from her.

Marinette knew that Nathanaël would lose in a heartbeat because one DNA test would prove that he has no rights to claim whatever he wants to take her to court for. She didn't have proof of who Louis' father is either but it sure as hell wasn't Nathanaël.

If Louis' hair didn't do the trick, then his eyes did.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette went to the one place where she felt safe.

Knocking on the door, Alya quickly opened and pulled in her best friend into a gentle but secure hug knowing already what damage Nathanaël had caused.

Even in the arms of her 'sister,' Marinette still found herself unable to cry until she was settled in Alya and Nino's home and held her son in her arms.

All her pent up frustrations, stress, and fears all came bursting out of her as she cried her heart out while Louis slept peacefully in her arms.

"I'm… s-so s-sor-ry, Louis. I've b-b-been su-ch a t-terrible mother to y-you!" Marinette cried as Alya quickly stopped her from being negative. "Marinette, you have never once been a terrible mother to Louis! He's a beautiful bouncing little boy and he's healthy above all else. You have no reason to feel like you were a coward because any woman in your position would feel exactly the same way as you!" Alya lightly rubbed Marinette's shoulder and wiped away some of her best friend's tears.

Marinette fell asleep with Louis on her chest surrounded by pillows while Alya finished her own packing and waited for Nino to get home so that they could all leave for the airport.

About an hour later, Sabine came knocking and took her grandson home with her but not before giving her daughters hugs and kisses and wishing them a fun safe trip.

Marinette felt immensely better after her melt down and her mini nap. She didn't want to think about her troubles any longer and focused instead on seeing Adrien and him waiting for her and her friends at the airport.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Nino? You're the friend with the hook up?"

"Dude! Adrien! You're Marinette's plus one?!"

Both Adrien and Nino exchanged hugs and fist bumps as they informed a very confused and surprised Marinette and Alya that they had been friends for years.

"Wow, my husband's best friend is the one and only Paris Fashion Prince. Who would've guessed it?" Alya crossed her arms as Marinette smiled and shrugged, "I guess it really is a small world after all, eh?"

Originally Marinette was supposed to sit with Adrien and Alya with Nino but seeing as both guys hadn't seen each other in quite some time, the girls decided to let them sit together for their short flight to Italy.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Once in Italy, the group of friends found their way to their hotel and decided to settle in. The day was still early with at least two hours left of daylight.

Alya and Nino quickly dumped their luggage into their room and decided to go explore the city meanwhile Adrien and Marinette decided to stay in their room and properly unpack.

"Are you sure you didn't want to tag along with them?" Adrien asked as he placed his folded clothes into a drawer.

If Marinette was being honest with herself, she did want to go and explore the city but her neck and back were killing her and all she wanted in that moment was for relief on a nice cool bed.

Slowly shaking her head, Marinette rubbed her neck and clavicle, "Nah, it's alright. Let them have their fun. We still have a whole two days to explore Milan. Are you sure you didn't want to go with them yourself?"

Adrien's sharp green eyes watched her every movement and shook his head. Silently he walked over to her and took her hands into his making her stop trying to soothe her aching neck.

His eyes widened when he saw the first signs of bruising on her neck. He lowered his hands down her shoulders and her back without thinking about it. Marinette instantly winced and pulled away from his touch.

Without the need of permission, Adrien pulled up Marinette's shirt and turned her around to see the raw and slightly bleeding lash marks she had on her otherwise soft and beautiful skin.

Adrien clenched his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth, "Did he do this to you?"

Marinette bit her lower lip, "Yes" she whispered.

Well there goes her fun vacations plans. At least getting this far with Adrien and getting to travel with him, while short lived, are memories she's sure she'll never forget. He wouldn't call her Princess after seeing this. He wouldn't want anything to do with her now. Just like how Chat Noir didn't want her after they made love.

"I… n-need t-to shower" Marinette hastily said as she moved past Adrien but was held to a halt by his hand gently grabbing her wrist.

Marinette's breath hitched as she felt Adrien's soft lips against her injured back.

"I wish you'd leave him" Adrien painfully whispered into her skin.

The tone of his voice sounded exactly like Chat Noir's that day that she gave him everything and it was too much for her heart to handle at that moment.

Here was a guy who clearly cared about her but Marinette was still chasing after a ghost. She wanted Chat's affection and no one else's.

"I don't deserve your kindness, Adrien" Marinette broke down. She thought that she could move on with her life. As bad as her luck was and as bad as she sucked at choosing men, she thought she could give her heart to another.

Her mind was focused on the present while her heart stayed stuck in the past.

"Do you really care for him?"

"I don't"

"Then why don't you deserve my kindness, Marinette?"

"Because you remind me so much of Chat Noir!" she blurted out, quickly clasping both her hands to her mouth.

Adrien held his breath in at her words, letting go of her, he watched as Marinette ran to the bathroom and locked herself in.

Plopping down on his side of the bed, Adrien's eyebrows furrowed as he was deep in thought.

Why would she say that? During his Chat Noir days, he never once even met her.

Sure he shared the same green eyes and short messy blonde hair as the Parisian superhero but his features alone weren't that uncommon in France.

Was being like Chat Noir such a bad thing? He thought about her reaction and couldn't figure out why she'd freak out.

He admitted that his actions after the defeat of Hawkmoth and those two years after aren't things he's very proud of but looking past all that - he was still the same guy. Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were one in the same person.

Marinette took a long steaming hot shower and pampered herself. It must have been over two hours since she blurted out what her heart kept locked deep within her.

She truly believed that she could love Adrien. Her feelings weren't a lie but she also couldn't lie to herself and say that she wanted nothing to do with Chat Noir anymore.

The curtains were left wide open in the dimly lit room when she got out. Turning off the light in the bathroom, Marinette tightly secured the towel over her bare body and made her way to her luggage to get fresh clothes.

She thought that Adrien would've left to go explore the city by himself but instead he was tucked in and sleeping on his side of the bed.

Marinette turned off the lamp that Adrien left on for her as she got dressed. She debated on sleeping on the small couch or the floor. She wasn't sure if they were having their first fight or if she just screwed up and made her vacation just extremely awkward with her big mouth.

Sighing, she opted for the bed and got on it while trying not to disturb Adrien.

"Why did you compare me to Chat Noir?"

Marinette's heart quickened at Adrien's sudden question, she didn't think he was still awake.

"Because I'm hopelessly in love with him"

It took Adrien fifteen minutes to reply back to that.

"Since when?"

"For the past seven years"

"Did you personally know him?"

"In a way, I'd like to think so but no, I didn't"

"Were you a fan of his?"

Marinette had to smile at that, "I always have been"

"You know he's not perfect, right?"

"Who is? Neither am I"

Adrien briefly paused and thought about what she just said.

"Why do you love him?"

"He made me… feel like I was the only girl in the world. He made me feel loved and treasured like I was special"

"Y'know that's pretty much how all of his female fans feel"

Marinette chuckled, "Perhaps"

"You speak as if you understood him"

"I wouldn't say that"

"Why not?"

"Because despite how wonderful Chat Noir was, I know in my heart that he locked a part of him away from the world. A part that not even Ladybug could reach"

Adrien stayed silent as he heard Marinette yawn, "No matter, he'll always be my Silly Kitty"

Adrien's eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

In the morning, Marinette felt a hundred times better. Her neck didn't hurt as much but the bruise left on it would take a few days to heal. Her back was another story, she kept tossing and turning throughout the night, trying to relieve the stinging sensation she still felt.

Adrien came out of the bathroom, fully clothed with dripping wet hair as Marinette sat on her side of the bed.

"I'm sorry if I accidentally kicked you or if I woke you up during the night, Adrien. My back still hurts a bit but it's getting better" she gave him a small weak smile, still feeling awkward around him.

Nodding, Adrien acknowledged what she said but didn't speak a word to her.

Marinette noticed that he was acting weird around her. He was perfectly fine whenever they were with Nino and Alya but as soon as they were left together no thanks to Alya's doing, he'd instantly become quiet and just watch her every move.

"Ugh, leave it to Nino to go shopping for even more DJ equipment when we're supposed to be relaxing" Alya complained as she apologized and entered the electronics store that Nino was currently in.

Marinette playfully shook her head and made her way towards the brand stores she found along the way straying not too far away from her friends.

She noticed Adrien following her from behind as she whistled and walked with her hands behind her back.

She had packed baggy loose fitting clothes but to no surprise, as she already expected it, Alya had switched out all her clothes at the last minute. None of it exposed her back; she was touched on how considerate and sneaky Alya could be. Marinette wore a peach mid-sleeve lace sundress with peach ankle strap flats that were adorn with mini bows and a lace design trimming.

From her peripheral, she made sure to keep track of Adrien who was wearing a simple black v-neck shirt with green cargo jeans and untied black leather boots.

Stopping in to a few of the shops she was most interested in, she went in and asked a few questions about the upcoming seasonal styles and runways. Some employees were impressed by her knowledge in fashion while others didn't bother to give her the time of day.

Once she was done feeding her curiosity, she made her way towards a nearby fountain to go sit down. Along the way a little boy about the age of five had dropped his gelato on the floor and started to cry.

Frowning and feeling for the boy, Marinette swept the hem of her dress underneath her and crouched down to reach the boy's height. Offering him a napkin that she took out of her small purse, she helped wipe his hands. Looking left and right, she tried to find his mother but she was nowhere in sight.

Concerned, she tried the best to her ability to communicate with the little boy. She knew she should've paid more attention in her Italian class.

Buying the little boy another gelato from a nearby cart, she hoped that his mother would show up sooner than later. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long until the young mother hurriedly came to get her son while thanking and apologizing for causing trouble to Marinette.

Marinette told the mother it was fine and accepted the kind mother's offer at buying her a gelato. The little boy waved at Marinette as he left with his mother. She couldn't help but smile and miss her own son Louis.

With her treat in hand, she went to go sit down at the fountain while she waited for Nino and Alya to finish up with their shopping and hopefully Adrien would stop acting so strangely around her.

"I saw what you did for that boy, it was sweet of you" Adrien spoke up, it was the first full sentence that he's said to her all day.

"My heart broke for him, I couldn't just leave an unattended child alone. If he were mine, I'd make sure that, that would never happen"

"Do you like children?" He asked.

"Do you?" She countered.

"I…"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Mwahahaha. That's all I have to say.

Until next time!

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


	7. J'Ai Besoin De Toi

AN: Thank you so much to those of you who take a few seconds of your time to review! It means so much to me to actually get to read your feedback on my fics.

It definitely helps me to get motivated enough to write and upload chapters a whole lot faster than I normally would.

Warning: this chapter gets a little bit hectic.

I'm well aware that Nathanaël is written OOC in this story but as 99% of the fandom has claimed him as their precious 'tomato' son, I don't see him in the same way. He isn't my tomato child and I'm probably in that 1% that feels that way. If I need a villain or side character, Nathanaël (or Theo) are my go-to's. I don't dislike/hate him. I just don't see him in such high regard as others do.

With that said, happy reading~

J'Ai Besoin De Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette felt foolish.

Maybe she shouldn't have shown him such a hopeful look in her eyes as she waited desperately for his response.

She watched as Adrien bit his lower lip, contemplating on how he should word whatever he was about to say to her.

"I…" he began, clearing his throat he started his sentence again, "Can't say how I feel about children. Honestly, I grew up as an only child and none of my friends have children of their own yet. I don't have any experience with them"

Marinette looked so crestfallen in that instant moment. Quickly, she nodded her head, "I-I see…" she stammered and sighed.

"I don't dislike them though" Adrien added, with a small smile noticing how dejected she looked. He didn't want to lie to her and tell her that he felt completely comfortable around little ones.

"Would you… perhaps… some day in the near future would want to have kids of your own?"

Marinette caught him off guard with her sudden question as his eyes widened for a split second, lips parted in a small gap and then relaxed.

"I…"

Marinette leaned in closer to him, his standing figure shielding her from the sun; the water gushing from the fountain falling on deaf ears as everything stilled. The gelato slowly melting in her anticipating hands as she waited to hear his response.

"Yo! Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Nino shouted as he and Alya sprinted towards the fountain with bags on each arms.

Marinette frowned, an expression that wasn't missed by Adrien's sharp eyes.

"Boy… I'm starving! Anyone down for some pizza? When in Rome right?" Marinette awkwardly started.

"Girl, we're in Milan!" Alya shook her head laughing, dumping her bags onto Nino to grab her best friend's wrists and pull her sticky hands up. "Let's go freshen up!" Alya announced and dragged Marinette away.

"So what were you two lovebirds gossiping about while I was shopping?" Nino asked with a teasing wink and nudge to Adrien's shoulder.

Adrien gave him a strained smile and scratched the back of his neck, "Nothing much" he simply said and grabbed some of the bags to help out.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The group was caught up in the sightseeing that they didn't eat until dinner. Alya noticed that there was a shift between Adrien and Marinette. While she herself and Nino were having a blast, she didn't get the same vibe off of those two.

Wanting them to connect and bond more during the trip, she decided to really intervene and beg Nino for more souvenirs so that Adrien and Marinette could go sight see on their own, having not done so the entire trip.

As soon as both parties split up and went their separate way, Marinette walked next to Adrien's side with her hands held behind her back holding a small gift she bought. She felt full and content, especially with her purchase of the matching bracelets she got for herself and Louis.

She felt giddy and couldn't wait to show her mom.

"Would you like to go check out other stores for souvenirs?" Adrien asked to break the silence they were in.

The hustle and bustle of the city made more noise than they did as Marinette nodded her head. "I do. I still need to find the right gifts for my parents"

"Okay" Adrien simply said and fell back into their silence.

He didn't know what to say or do.

They weren't particularly fighting but he couldn't just ignore the metaphorical elephant in the room either.

Marinette didn't love him, or at least, not all of him.

She just didn't know it.

To him, she's just a long time, dedicated fan of Chat Noir's.

To him, she's just infatuated with his goofy charm and heroism.

To him, she'll never know that Chat Noir was standing right in front of her.

Adrien knew it was foolish to think that someone could love ALL of him.

Billionaire supermodel, cat paws, ears and all.

They continued to walk the lit up streets when they were interrupted by sudden squeals and screams of surprise.

"EEK! IT'S LILA ROSSI!"

"LET'S GET HER AUTOGRAPH!"

"AHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY HER!"

"SHE'S HERE! SHE'S HERE!"

Adrien's ears instantly perked up like a cat's as he hastily turned his head so fast that he luckily didn't get whiplash. He noticed a crowd of young girls surrounding a nearby hotel. He caught a glimpse of chestnut colored hair and long legs wearing red boots with heels.

"Son of a- You have got to be kidding me!" Adrien groaned, taking Marinette by surprise, "We need to go, now!" He whispered-yelled to her and quickly grabbed her hand. He dashed into the nearest alleyway he could find.

Marinette gripped tightly onto her little jewelry bag as she panted and abruptly stopped in some unknown passage.

"What was that about?" She asked Adrien as he heaved, lungs burning as he held onto the brick wall for support.

"N-N-Nothing! J-J-u-u-st th-ough-t I-I s-saw a leech i-is all!" Adrien panted, "God, I'm so out of shape" he wheezed, as his lean muscles tensed at Marinette's touch.

Her cold hand gently touched his bicep as she laughed, "You out of shape? Not likely"

Adrien playfully rolled his eyes, "I've been cheating on my workout and diet for some time now"

"How long is some time?" she asked.

Without thinking, he said, "Ever since we made love"

As soon as those words came out of his mouth, he froze.

Marinette froze as well, eyes wide for a split moment but then quickly replaced with a warmth spreading throughout her face. The blood pooling in her ears, cheeks, and her already cold and reddening tip of her nose.

Before either of them could say a word, both their phones started to ring and vibrate in unison. Nino and Alya wanting to know where they ran off to.

Adrien and Marinette settled yet again into a silent and now awkward walk back to their hotel.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Before Marinette could enter the elevator to her hotel room, Alya dragged her outside of the elevator and let the guys go on up without them.

"So?" Alya asked, looking hopeful.

"So, what?"

Alya rolled her eyes, "Did you guys kiss? Confess your undying love for each other? Secretly got hitched without my knowing?"

Marinette shook her head, "None of those things happened"

Alya booed and crossed her arms, "So what am I waiting for?"

"I-I d-don't k-know" Marinette sighed.

She knew Alya only wanted the best for her and fully supported whatever this was with Adrien but even she wasn't sure what would happen with him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Back into her room, Marinette quietly entered the room and just as before - Adrien left a light on for her as he was already settled in bed.

Marinette took her toiletries and clothes and changed in the bathroom.

She again contemplated on whether she should just sleep on the couch or floor.

She knew they weren't fighting, she just simply made everything awkward with her big mouth.

"Here" Adrien spoke up, as he moved the blanket to let Marinette on the bed.

Marinette timidly accepted his invitation and settled onto her side of the bed. She exhaled deeply and tried to get comfortable but couldn't as her back wound still slightly irritated her. The coolness of the mattress against her skin felt nice but it didn't help her to relax.

"If Chat Noir didn't exist… would you have given me a chance?" Adrien softly spoke up.

Marinette's breath hitched in her throat at his sudden question.

"What?"

"Would you let me into your heart?"

"I-I-I'm n-not w-worth t-t-the t-trou-ble"

She heard him chuckle and move on the bed. Adrien adjusted himself by effortlessly grabbing Marinette and sliding her underneath him. Holding her arms against her head as he caged her into him while his knees supported his weight on either side of her legs.

"Don't belittle yourself so much, Marinette. I think you're worth it"

Marinette's eyes grew misty as she fought the urge to cry.

Cry because here was a guy who knew all her troubles and imperfections and still wanted her.

Cry because her self-confidence and self-love in herself were tarnished into nothing that all she could do was always think in the negative.

Cry because another was in her heart instead.

"If Chat Noir didn't exist, I'd still want to meet him. The real him. I'm a wreck, Adrien. I've lead you on for far too long" Marinette's lip trembled as the hot tears spilled from her eyes.

Adrien ignored her soft whimpering and focused on only one thing she said.

She'd still want to meet the real him.

 _Him._

Marinette may have not known that she was with the real Chat Noir this entire time but something bubbled and sparked within him. Her feelings were as genuine as she is and he was confident in knowing that no matter how big of a Chat Noir fan she may have been in the past - her feeling were true and they remained true and loyal for the past two years since the disappearance of the Parisian superhero duo.

Marinette gasped into his mouth as Adrien leaned down and captured her lips. Her surprise soon turned into moans of pleasure as she weaved her hands through his golden hair. Her heart hammered against her chest as she felt him glide his long fingers against her thighs and legs.

His lips traveled from her lips to her jaw and collarbone as her leg wrapped around his torso. His kisses were light on her face but sensual on her shoulders and chest. Adrien's hands found themselves gripping Marinette's hips, the pad of his thumbs massaging little circles into the exposed skin of her pink silk pj shorts sliding off.

That night, they didn't have sex like they normally would. Marinette was comforted by Adrien's closeness but still not sure if her answer was good enough for him. She didn't exactly _answer_ his question.

Everything would be okay, wouldn't it?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"No! Get away from me! Unhand me!" Marinette yelled as Nathanaël squeezed her small wrists and roughly shoved her onto her bed.

"I've had had enough of being celibate with you! I've waited for you to want me intimately as I've had for you! I've waited for two years! So what do you do instead? You go running off to another man's dick, you bitch!" Nathanaël started to unzip his jeans while simultaneously trying to forcefully remove her clothes when she kicked him after slapping him away from her body.

"I will never have sex with you, Nathanaël! NEVER!" Marinette yelled and took advantage of his staggering, as he swayed back and forth taking hold of the wall to balance himself out.

Limping out onto the hallway of her apartment, Marinette ran towards the elevators while caressing her bleeding hand.

"You think I'd let you cheat on me?!" Nathanaël roared, leaning against the entrance of their home, "I'll make you know your place you cheating whore!" He screeched, grabbing his whiskey bottle as he sprinted towards her, managing to pull her down by her long wavy pigtails as she fell onto the hard burgundy carpet.

Marinette gasped as she tried to calm her racing heart, grabbing onto whatever piece of furniture she could as Nathanaël dragged her back into their apartment by her bare feet. She held tightly onto a hallway table until her knuckles turned white. The table moving slowly as Nathanaël tried prying her off of it. In one hand he held her ankle and with the other he was still holding onto his poison.

The stench of alcohol consumed the entire floor. Not a single neighbor budged at all at the noise having gone deaf to it months ago.

Kicking and screaming, Marinette managed to gain control and quickly bolted for the emergency stairwell.

Tumbling down a short flight of stairs, she hurriedly got on her feet and ran down two more flights and then entered a bottom floor's level taking the elevator from there.

Marinette ignored all the looks and stares she got on her way out as she exited her apartment building and ran directly into the cold raining streets of Paris.

Her blood stained thin grey tank top and black shorts were instantly drenched. She didn't know where to go. She couldn't go to Alya's because then Alya would be out looking for war and Nathanaël's blood to shed. She definitely couldn't go to her parents because then her dad would be the one raising hell and she didn't want Louis or her mom to see her in her current condition.

She wasn't exactly sure on what terms she and Adrien were on but today was a Sunday and she knew she could, hopefully, find him at the laundromat. She didn't mean to throw more of her baggage onto him but Marinette was terrified for her life and running to Adrien felt like the most logical thing to do at that moment.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette looked and felt like shit.

Nathanaël cut part of the right side of her forehead, busted the left side of her lips, bruised her neck, arms, and the icing on the cake was when he came at her with a knife and she had to grab onto it with her right hand in order to defend herself. The blade easily sliced through her skin and she was pretty sure that if she didn't get actual stitches for it then she'd get an infection.

She had nothing on her. No money, no identification. Nothing.

The only thing she had were the clothes on her back and what little bit of confidence and determination to get the hell out that was left.

She knew she'd have to eventually go back to that hell hole and retrieve the things most important and valuable to her like Tikki for example.

Marinette had no time to kick herself over forgetting her purse and a sleeping Tikki as she arrived at her destination.

Limping into the laundromat, she thanked the stars and heavens and all the deities in the world for Adrien's presence inside.

He hadn't noticed her as his back was faced to her as he took out a load from the dryer so that he could neatly fold his clothes on the countertop.

"Adrien!" Marinette exhaled, not knowing how long she was holding her breath for.

The second that Adrien caught a look at her, he threw his clothes on the table and held her by the arms, supporting her and making sure she wouldn't fall down.

"What happened?!" Adrien panicked.

"I-I-I can't d-d-do this a-any-m-more, A-Adrien! Nathanaël's cra-zy! I barely managed t-to g-get out w-with m-my life!" Marinette broke down. "I'm s-scared, Adrien. I-I a-am s-so scar-ed r-right n-now" she wailed as she shivered, blood and drops of water soaking the floor around her.

Adrien didn't care that she was bleeding and looked like a mess as he tightly held her in his arms.

For a boyfriend to physically abuse his girlfriend, it was unacceptable but to actually try and kill her? Now that was unforgivable.

Adrien's blood boiled, he wanted to clench his fists and go hunt down this Nathanaël. He wanted to tear him to pieces and break every single bone in his body. Adrien was seeing red but for now, that asshole was temporarily saved as he attended to Marinette first.

It had been not even a week since they came back from their Milan trip and in that time Nathanaël grew more violent and colder than Marinette had ever seen him.

The first time that he laid his hands on her since her return from Italy, Marinette cried. She felt saddened by the fact that the once creative, inspiring, and ever so talented young man that was there for her after her heartbreak of what happened with Chat Noir was no longer there in the present man who drank constantly, was physically abusive, and almost raped her.

Marinette's whole body was washed over with a sense of relief. That in that short moment in time, she was safe and away from harm.

Adrien held her in his warm arms for a good twenty minutes before letting her go.

Silently, Adrien let go of her and held onto her shivering injured hand. The bleeding lessened but it was still looking pretty bad.

"We need to get this stitched up" he told her as she agreed.

"I do but I can't just walk into the hospital looking like this. The paparazzi would have a field day with you and think you were my abuser"

"Let the paparazzi talk all they want!" Adrien raised his voice, feeling frustrated by his want to punch this boyfriend of hers in the face and the need to protect her from all the wrong that has been done to her.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Adrien…" Marinette frowned, caressing his cheek with her good left hand.

He held onto her hand on his cheek and kissed her inner palm, "Let's clean you up a bit at least. Wait here" he instructed as he took a freshly dried blanket from the dryer and wrapped her in it. Lifting her up on the counter, he told her to sit still as he walked out of the laundromat and quickly ran to his car, driving to a nearby boutique he's worked with in the past.

If there were any perks to being basically fashion royalty - it was this. Being able to ask for clothes, no questions needed.

Returning back to the laundromat with two bags in hand, Adrien smiled as he set them down next to Marinette. He first took out the contents of the first bag which contained a first aid kit. He lightly and with much care made sure to clean her lip and forehead wounds first. Next he took out a bottle of water and cleaned her hand wound as she winced.

"Sorry" Adrien apologized as he did a fast patch up job with gauze.

Her hand looked worse than it actually was. After he was finished with all her cuts, he couldn't do much for her bruises with no ice on hand so he moved onto the next bag.

Adrien took out a long sleeved olive green turtleneck dress and jacket, black leggings, ankle boots, and a leather belt to adorn the dress with.

"Oops I almost forgot" he said as he quickly jogged back to his car and brought in another bag containing a matching set of panties and bra.

"Can you help me get dressed?" Marinette shyly asked, cheeks and ears flaring brightly as he simply nodded his head. She felt so drained, not caring if anyone walking by saw her naked through the windows.

Taking off the drenched clothing off of her, Adrien threw them on the floor as he unclasped her bra. He couldn't help himself and leaned into her skin, the tip of his nose running against her cold back. Leaving light butterfly kisses on her skin, she covered her chest with her left arm as he helped her put on her under garments.

Once she was properly dressed, she immediately felt a thousand times better.

"Now to get you to the hospital" Adrien announced as he finished folding the last of his laundry.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Thank you for everything, Adrien. I mean it. I-I don't know h-how I'll ever repay you for your kindness" Marinette told him.

"Tell me why Chat Noir is so important to you. That's all I'd like to know as your payment for my kindness. I don't need payment for anything but I'd really like to know"

"I guess it doesn't really matter now. If that's all you want, then I'll tell you"

"It is" he confirmed as his eyes flickered with anticipation.

Marinette took in a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling as she found a way to word her thoughts, "I owe him at least the chance to get to know his son" she started.

Adrien's brows furrowed, confused by what she just said. "Son? Chat Noir doesn't have any children" he said matter-o-factly.

Marinette nodded, "None that he or the media knows of"

"So how could he have kids? Chat Noir wasn't known to fool around with fans"

"That's because I wasn't his fan" Marinette shook her head.

"Then who are you?" Adrien asked, his heart thundering in his chest.

It couldn't be. No.

Marinette? How?

Was that even possible? Sweet, innocent, Marinette?

The pieces were starting to shift, align, and connect in his head.

"I'm Ladybug or well I _was_ " Marinette corrected herself as she waited for his reaction. Keeping her secret was no longer relevant if Paris didn't need her to save it anymore. She knew that she trusted Adrien enough to let him in onto her big secret that until then only Alya knew. If she was going to pour her heart out and explain why she was so in love with Chat Noir then Adrien needed to know the truth. Ladybug was of course a fan of Chat Noir but not like other ordinary fans as he may have thought.

"No, you're not"

It wasn't the reaction she was expecting but she supposed that denial was fine too.

"I would never lie to you, Adrien"

"How? Can you even prove it?" Adrien was frantic, his mind racing as he tried to desperately understand.

"After the defeat of Hawkmoth, Chat took him somewhere. I-I d-don't know where or what he did to Hawkmoth but we were finally freed from his curse. I was so exhausted after that fight, it took a toll on my body and my kwami Tikki's magic. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a nice hotel room with Chat Noir. He looked so dejected… he wasn't acting like himself and then-"

"Stop" Adrien pleaded, the memories too painful for him.

"You said you wanted to know, maybe I shouldn't have said anything"

"N-no, wait. Please do continue"

Marinette looked at him for a few minutes, waiting for anymore objections but when none came, she continued.

"Chat and I had sex that night. It was my first time and I gave him everything. I gave him my trust and my heart but…" Marinette paused, this was always the hardest part of her story, "I guess that wasn't enough for him. I guess _I_ wasn't enough for him. He didn't know I was so madly in love with him. I guess I was stupid to think that"

"And your son?"

"Chat Noir left me abandoned in the hotel room, sure it was a nice room but that meant nothing to me. I felt hollow for weeks and one day after having morning sickness for quite a while, Tikki told me that I needed to see a doctor. Maybe she knew before me but the doctor told me I was pregnant. I cried my eyes out, it was the first time I felt so alone in the world. An ex-superhero single mother. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

"What does your son look like? His name? Age?" Adrien bombarded her with questions.

It took her by surprise, his sudden curiosity towards her son and his persistence of knowing what and how much Chat Noir meant to her.

"His name is Louis, he's eight months old. Louis was born with blonde hair but over time it gradually turned darker so now it's black. His eyes are a hazel color, they shine more green than anything" she fondly said, her genuine love for her son was clear to him.

Marinette patiently waited for Adrien to say something but he never did. Trying not to bite down on her bottom lip, she lightly tapped her foot but he still didn't say a word.

She spoke up and frowned, "I'm truly sorry for leading you on, Adrien. Your kindness and friendship are two things I'm incredibly grateful for. I should've told you that I have a son and I completely understand if you'd no longer like to see me. You'd think I'd be used to getting rejected by now" Marinette dryly chuckled at her own sad miserable life and bad luck in the love department.

"I-I'll t-take m-m-myself to the h-hospital" she told him, quietly picking up her wet clothes from the ground and placing it in a bag. She placed the bag on the bend of her left arm and caressed her injured hand as she limped to the door.

Marinette shivered as the gush of cold wind hit her, it was still raining and without an umbrella she'd get drenched again.

She sighed and braced herself.

"Where's your kwami?" Adrien asked as she set a foot out the door.

He was asking _where_ her kwami was instead of _what_ a kwami is.

Marinette entered the laundromat again, closing the door behind her, "I accidentally left her at the apartment. She knows how to hide, especially from Nathanaël. Why?"

"Because I have a kwami too" he said with a mixed emotion in his tone. His own kwami Plagg appearing in seconds from his hiding spot as he waved without saying a word. Normally he'd be flying and zooming around enthusiastically but felt like the mood in the room didn't call for it.

"W-W-What?" Marinette's voice cracked.

"I'm Chat Noir" Adrien firmly said.

Marinette lost consciousness, seeing pitch black in seconds. A thud of her body falling to the floor never came but she fainted instantly.

Maybe it was the loss of blood from her wounds or maybe from her physical and mental exhaustion or maybe it was because of Adrien's sudden and not so little revelation.

She didn't really know.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Secrets are revealed!

Things are starting to come to an end here in a few more chapters. I'm aiming for at least 10 chapters but who knows, we'll see!

This chapter was pretty straight forward so I don't have much else to say other than: see ya, until next time!

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


	8. Je Pense Toujours À Toi

AN: I swear, I haven't forgotten about this fic! Sorry it's taken so long to update. Honestly, Final Fantasy XV, Yuri! On Ice, and school took over my life. I was rereading the reviews on this fic and they make me so happy. Thank you for being interested in my convoluted plots. LOL. Thank you for liking my story-telling/writing style! I know my stories aren't as popular because I don't use AO3 or Tumblr but I'm glad to get whatever audience that comes my way.

When I had more free time to write, I chose to update my other Miraculous fic – Tu Es Beau instead of this one, but now that I've gotten that story a little further, I can come back and focus on this one. If you love the Agreste children as much as I do and like angst/hurt/comfort/romance/humor, then please go check out my other fic if you haven't already! Both stories will be coming to an end soon enough so I can start on two other ideas that are currently floating around in my head for the summer. I promise that one of those two stories won't be an angst fest like my two current ones!

Enough of my ramblings, happy reading~ :)

Je Pense Toujours À Toi

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Adrien swiftly caught Marinette in his arms. Without a word, he took the blanket he had wrapped her in earlier and used it to shield her from the rain outside.

Gently he set her inside his car as he finished loading his laundry.

The car drive back to his place was laced heavy with contemplation.

His mind still reeling over the fact that fate would bring his Lady back into his life and on top of that, he just learned that he had fathered a child.

He didn't know what exactly he was feeling but he couldn't dwell on it for now as he arrived home, set Marinette on his bed and called his family's private doctor not wanting to deal with a public hospital after everything that had happened.

Pacing around, he waited for the doctor to arrive and once he did, he quickly got to work with little questions asked.

Once exchanging a brief thank you to the doctor who had served his family long before he was even born, Adrien quickly shut the door to his penthouse and waited for Marinette to wake up.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette awoke in the softest bed imaginable while breathing in a rich masculine scent that could only be Adrien's.

Jolting, she shot out of bed into a sitting position. The sheets pooling around her waist as she searched the room, her eyes still adjusting to the dim lighting until Adrien clapped his hands, turning on the automatic ceiling lights.

He quietly sat at the edge of the bed on the other side, refusing to face her as she stared at his back.

Marinette had rehearsed what she would say to Chat Noir if she had ever gotten the chance of seeing him again. She had memorized every heart wrenching speeches in every fiber of her being but now that she had finally found him… her tongue felt like lead.

Looking down at her now stitched up and patched injured right hand, the hot tears that spilled out her eyes were instantly absorbed into the cotton gauze.

"I've… I've always thought about you… not once did you ever leave my thoughts… my heart" Marinette croaked, she knew that the cold rain of the day was starting to take a toll on her body.

Adrien remained silent.

"I'm not… I'm not looking for anything, Adrien. I don't want your money or your support. I understand if you've never loved me as Ladybug or ever will as just plain Marinette but please…" Marinette broke down, clenching the sheets around her with her hands, her entire body leaning forward with her back hunched over.

"Please, I beg of you to give your son a chance. Take the paternity test if you don't believe me but…" her tears blurred her vision entirely as she shook, "please allow our son a chance of getting to know his father someday. That's all I ask of you!"

Adrien felt the bed shake with her trembles. He bit his lower lip and deeply inhaled, not wanting to burst into his own tears. He wanted to be mad at her for not telling him that he had gotten her pregnant. He wanted to be mad at his father for causing his cold, distant, and selfish actions that day. He wanted to be mad at Plagg for ever giving him these magic powers of destruction and the chance of meeting the love of his life. He wanted to be mad at everyone else, blaming them for his own faults.

He was mad at himself.

Back then, he didn't know. He didn't care. He was a wreck.

If only he had loved Ladybug, no, Marinette enough, then she would have never been placed into such a shitty situation. She wouldn't have been stuck into an abusive relationship for the past two years.

He would've had her move in with him, he would've gotten to experience the joy of watching her belly grow, he would've spoiled her, he would've loved her in the way she deserved it.

He was a fool.

Adrien had worn a mask on for years. Both literally and metaphorically. The last time he had ever cried was when his missing mother was pronounced dead, caused by some freak accident while in Tibet. Since then he swore he wouldn't cry no matter what.

A deep rumble escaped his lips as his unsteady hand raised to his mouth. Biting down on the side of his trembling hand, Adrien broke down for the first time in years. His body quaked with his choppy gurgles, the painful moans failed to be silenced by his hands on his face.

"For-Forg-give m-m-me" he stammered.

Marinette immediately crawled to his side, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and kissing his cheeks and temples. She could taste the saline of his tears on her lips as she tightly held him from behind.

"I've always been in love with you" she told him, "not once have I ever blamed you for what happened. I know you had your own reasons" she finished, closing her eyes as her tears silently fell.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

An hour later, once calming down, they both laid in bed, both facing each other as the pitter-patter of rain continued to pour outside.

Adrien gently held onto Marinette's injured hand, kissing her wound and keeping his eyes on her. "Why did you stay with that asshole?" he whispered.

Marinette frowned, "I was broken after you left me. Nathanaël wasn't always like he is today. When I told him I was pregnant, he didn't question it and accepted me with opened arms. Things started to gradually change after I had given birth to Louis and even though I was being threatened with my custody being taken away from me… I knew that Nathanaël couldn't really do anything because even he knew he wasn't the father. We've never had sex before… you were always the only one, Adrien, but I was scared and alone and gave into my fear of the thought that my son could ever be taken away from me… that he could've grown up without knowing his mother"

"You've endured so much just because I was stupid" Adrien winced.

Shaking her head, Marinette stopped his negative thoughts from going further down a dark path, "bruises and minor cuts are nothing compared to broken bones as Ladybug, Kitty. I'm a lot stronger than that and you know it. I'd fight an entire army alone if it meant protecting _our_ son"

"My son's name is Louis" Adrien whispered back, the confirmation of him having a son tingled on his lips.

Marinette nodded and softly squeezed his hand with her injured one, "I want us to be a family, Adrien, but I'm not going to force you into anything"

Adrien smiled at her sincerity and nodded, "we'll take things slow" he promised her.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The next day, Adrien left Marinette sleeping peacefully in his bed as he decided to do what he was itching to do since day one.

During their long night, they had spent hours talking and rekindling on his bed. They didn't have sex but had hurdled through things that needed to be said during their pillow talk. As they fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, Adrien noticed Marinette tossing and turning in her sleep as she coughed. He knew she was coming down with something.

Before leaving, he made sure Plagg kept a watchful eye on her and left the heater on.

Walking out into the crisp air around noon, Adrien made his way towards Marinette's studio apartment having gotten the address from Nino who had asked Alya.

He already knew that Alya would be there to help him out, never hesitating whenever she'd hear Marinette's name come up.

The only downside to his plan of getting all of Marinette's belongings out of her abuser's place was that he didn't have a key and would need to face the jerk right away.

Adrien did consider himself a gentleman. If he could avoid this Nathanaël fellow, then all the more better for Nathanaël's sake because he didn't know how far he'd go otherwise. It took A LOT for Adrien to get really pissed off. He admitted that he's not very proud of the way he dealt with his villainous father two years ago but there was no going back from that.

If Adrien did confront Nathanaël then he would have to mentally remind himself to hold back but he'd still get some degree of pleasure from knocking his lights out.

No one hurts his Lady. No one.

Of course, at the end of the day, it'd come to the latter.

Going up the few flights of stairs, Adrien made his way down a burgundy carpeted floor. The muted yellow colored wallpaper of the hall was slowly peeling off as he could make out a few long visible cracks on the walls. The few pieces of furniture set out for guests had been bolted down with rusty nails that barely looked like they were still doing their job. A vase with wilted flowers rested on top of a table and a mirror hung on the wall was dirtied with fingerprints.

This place was in horrible condition and had seen better days, probably some fifty plus years ago.

It gave Adrien a boosted drive, all the more reason to get Marinette out of this toxic place and relationship as fast as possible.

Knocking on the door of the last door down the hall, Adrien impatiently waited for an answer.

He didn't have to wait long as he heard rustling and something being knocked over inside. The door jittered and recoiled back from its hinges, it was a miracle in itself that it hadn't completely come apart.

The red head that busted the jammed door opened had heavy red sunken bags under his eyes, his eyes looked glazed over but hollow, his face scruffy with facial hair, and his white undershirt and unzipped maroon jeans reeked with the stench of alcohol. In one hand, he held onto the door knob and with the other he supported his wobbly body all while holding onto his large bottle of whiskey.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the clean-cut image of Adrien who was wearing navy blue slim jeans, black dress shoes, and a black rolled up semi-formal dress shirt with three buttons undone. His entire ensemble had been perfectly tailored to his body type.

"What the hell do you want? I've already paid this month's rent!" Nathanaël slurred.

"Are you Nathanaël Kurtzberg?" Adrien slowly asked as Nathanaël took a swig of his liquor.

"Who wants to know?" he asked as his hand gripped onto the doorknob trying to support his unsteady knees and balance.

"The father of Marinette's child. I'm here to get her things and get her out of this shithole" Adrien calmly said as he shoved a swaying Nathanaël out of the way. He had already sent Alya a text earlier to let her know to come and help him. He wasn't planning on staying in here for any longer than necessary.

"That… bitch!" Nathanaël dropped his whiskey bottle at the entrance and quickly grabbed Adrien's forearm trying to stop him from coming inside the small apartment any further.

Adrien briskly turned around and tightly grabbed onto Nathanaël's wrist, then tightly pinched the nerve of his hand between the thumb and index finger rendering Nathanaël unable to move as he dropped to his knees.

Adrien lifted him by the collar of his undershirt and pushed him against the entrance's wall. Holding him there, Adrien's calm exterior faded and showed his true rage. He was breathing heavily as he knotted the material of Nathanaël's shirt in his fists and lifted him a few centimeters away from the wall and continued to shove him against it repeatedly.

"You don't get to treat people like they're a piece of shit! You don't get to abuse women just so you feel man enough!" Adrien yelled as he roughly let go of a whimpering Nathanaël and punched him hard against his right cheek that blood spluttered out his mouth.

His knuckles throbbed from the impact as Adrien tried to balance his breathing again. He left Nathanaël lying on the floor, watching as he cradled his swollen cheek, groaning in pain.

"You deserve so much more than that, asshole!" Adrien wanted to kick him in the gut but thought better of himself. Marinette would know about him intruding on her problems and she'd probably find out soon enough that he had no choice but to use a bit of violence to get it done but if he allowed himself to go over onto that brink of insanity and injure Nathanaël more than he had already done then he feared that Marinette wouldn't forgive him so easily for that.

He had already crossed a line and wasn't trying to take two steps back when he had one already ahead.

Nathanaël had been too drunk to do anything more as Adrien remembered how Marinette told him that her room was the main bedroom of the apartment. Entering the room, he sent Alya another text letting her know that she could make her way up now.

"Tikki are you in here?" Adrien quietly asked, his eyes scanning the entire room, "my name's Adrien, I'm… well… I was Chat Noir. I'm sorry I didn't bring Plagg with me but Marinette told me she was Ladybug and how much you love cookies" he chuckled at the last bit and hoped that the little scared kwami would make herself known to him.

Five minutes of silence passed before Tikki braced herself and came out of her hiding spot underneath Marinette's red pillow on the old creaky bed.

"Is it safe?" the little red bug whispered.

Adrien held out his left palm to allow her to sit on it.

Nodding, he smiled at the little kwami, "yes, I promise you that you nor Marinette will ever have to return to this place ever again"

Tikki deeply sighed in relief, "thank you, Adrien"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

As Adrien came out of the room with all of Marinette's clothes piled high in his arms, he watched Alya come through the opened door.

"I never want to see your sick face ever again, you psycho!" Alya yelled at Nathanaël as she kicked him in the shin. He groaned in pain as Alya cheerfully waved at Adrien, "I'll get all the baby stuff so I'll meet you downstairs in a bit"

Adrien nodded, ignoring what she just did. He knew she probably had more choice words to yell at Nathanaël but had kept it civil."Okay, we'll probably need to do a couple of runs in and out"

Alya nodded in agreement, "that's fine, I just want to get all of Marinette's stuff out of here so she won't have an excuse to return and face this sad pathetic excuse of a man ever again"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Marinette yelled as she was ready to get out of bed and inspect all her belongings.

"Marinette, I wasn't there for you for two years. This is the least I could do to make it up to you. I… It killed me knowing how much he's hurt you okay? As a man, I'm ashamed to think that there's lowlifes like him still out there but as Chat Noir, you know he's just as bad as any akuma out there. I gave him mercy"

"But you punched him!" Marinette hid her face in her bent knees.

Adrien sat down next to her, placing his hand on the top of her head. "After the hell he put you through, trust me, he deserved so much worse"

Marinette sniffled as she continued to hide her face from him. To say she was relieved petrified her more than she thought it would. The nightmare that was her life, that she had been living in for two years was no more. She was finally free and it was all thanks to the one man in her life that she'll ever love.

Marinette was an emotional mess; it didn't help that she had caught a cold in the rain.

"Marinette… please look at me" Adrien begged as he kissed her hair.

"I'm scared of waking up and realizing this was all a fairytale dream after a nightmare" she mumbled into her knees, "I'm scared of losing you, Adrien"

Adrien smiled at her words, there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her irrevocably and unconditionally.

"I promise you with my soul, my heart, my very being. I promise you with the moon and the stars that I'm one-hundred percent real and very much in love with you, Marinette"

"Even if I'm all covered in snot with a red nose and puffy eyes and look totally gross right now?"

Adrien genuinely laughed at that as he gently lifted her head away from her knees. With his index finger, he raised her chin and nodded, "yes" he said and leaned in to kiss her.

It was a sweet and gentle kiss unlike their more fevered and passionate kisses.

Marinette hugged him tightly and allowed herself to cry tears of joys.

She was finally free.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

Yay! Happy ending to the whole Nathanaël mess.

Just 2 more chapters to go! Honestly this whole story was meant to be a long one-shot but I seem to be unable to write one-shots for Miraculous so it grew into a bigger story.

Again, thank you so much for supporting this story and all my others if you've become a fan! As an author, one of my biggest dreams is to get fan art for a story but that's really reaching for the stars there… I love sappy romances, but they gotta have some meat to them. I'm just happy to recieve reviews.

I don't know how other author's work but I usually type up the next chapter on the same day I plan to update. Sometimes, I get stuck and the intended upload gets a bit delayed but I'm currently working on Chap. 9 so that you, as the readers won't have to wait as long as my previous 7-month hiatus. (Ahh... Yikes, I didn't even realize it was that long! FORGIVE ME! D;)

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


	9. Tu Es L'Amour De Ma Vie

AN: OMG, thank you so much for leaving awesome reviews on the last chap! Since this fic went so long without being attended to, I honestly didn't think there was still an audience or anyone would pay attention to it… /cry.

Reviews really do help to motivate so thank you again for the lovely reviews! And it's nice to see some of you here who are also reading Tu Es Beau. I'll update that fic soon enough!

Happy reading~

Tu Es L'Amour De Ma Vie

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So… tell me again why you're taking me to your job?" Marinette asked as her left hand held onto the red blindfold and her right held Adrien's hand, "and what's the point of the blindfold if you already told me where we're going?"

She had butterflies in her stomach, swirling with confusion but excitement at the same time.

Adrien chuckled as he gently squeezed her hand and excitedly told her to wait for the surprise.

In the past month, she had moved in with Adrien. He had yet to meet his son but they were planning on doing that later tonight. With moving and adjusting with everything that had happened, Sabine was more than happy to take care of her grandson while everything fell back into place in Marinette's life.

During one of their heavy pillow talks, it took Adrien about two weeks before he finally opened up about what had happened on that night when he left.

He told her how he had found out that his father and her fashion idol Gabriel Agreste had been their long-time nemesis Hawkmoth.

He explained how, once Ladybug used her lucky charm on Hawkmoth, it not only cleansed him of evil but helped free the prisoned Nooroo from his clutches. Tikki and Plagg both then helped to fill in the gaps explaining how Nooroo was susceptible to evil because his powers could easily be tainted by the wrong person.

The little freed kwami was finally able to take a much-needed break as he returned to Master Fu and fellow kwami Wayzz. Both were eager to receive Nooroo back on the good side after all he had endured for the past couple of years.

A few days after that, both Adrien and Marinette had finally gotten the chance to meet the man who had brought them together and had changed their lives forever. Marinette met Nooroo for the first time and felt sad for the little kwami. Having known her own share of pain and a hellish life. Nooroo constantly apologized for all the trouble he's cause but Adrien and Marinette assured him that it wasn't his fault.

Adrien finally finished telling Marinette the rest of his story after they had met Nooroo and Master Fu. He told her how the collapsing building had left his father paralyzed from the waist down and how he was now wheelchair bound. While he had no intentions of trying to get his powers back, as a public figure he chose to not let out his secret to the media about how famed Gabriel Agreste lost movement in his legs.

"But why? Why resort to villainous ways?" Marinette remembered asking him.

Adrien deeply sighed, "because he thought he could save my mother. She was a skilled climber who went missing in the Himalayan mountains. The last we knew about her was a torn-up passport, a dirtied turquoise parka, and a bloodied map of Tibet being mailed to us months after her disappearance"

Marinette couldn't imagine how it felt to have gotten those items returned to his family. How out of his element, Gabriel must have been to desperately seek some higher power to get a chance of reviving his missing wife. How Adrien must have felt growing up without his mother there.

The revelation of it all came crashing down on her, his motives, his distant attitude towards her, everything started to make sense.

"I still don't blame you" she told him as they laid on the bed facing each other.

Adrien gave her a weak smile, "you're too good to me"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Entering the main building of Gabriel Agreste's fashion empire, Adrien greeted the security guard and the receptionist as he walked towards the elevators.

Taking off the red blindfold while inside the elevator, he let go of Marinette's hand and pressed the button to go up to the highest level. As they ascended, Marinette nervously watched as each level lit up in a pattern of red, white, and blue like France's national colors. They passed each level without pause. Alone inside the elevator, Adrien stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her petite waist. Resting his head on her shoulder, he rocked them on the balls of his heels as he contently hummed.

"I can't wait to meet my son" he whispered into her ear.

Marinette's throat pulsed with her quickened heartbeat.

"I can't wait to make things right with you again, Mari" he softly nipped at her neck.

Before she could tell him that he didn't owe her anything, they arrived at their destination. Marinette had no time to collect her frazzled thoughts as she stood in the lobby of Gabriel's office.

"Adrien, what are we-" she began.

Adrien held his right index finger up, pausing her train of thought.

"After the whole Nathanaël thing happened, Alya and I kept in touch. We'd occasionally go out and get coffee and one day she mentioned that she forgot to give me your sketchbook. She knows how much you treasure it and how passionate you are to become a fashion designer. She knows that you'd probably feel extremely guilty if she were to ask me for a favor with my connections and influence but I took the liberty of looking over your designs" Adrien told her as he watched her cheeks glow fifty shades of red.

"They're not very good! I'm embarrassed to show anyone those designs!" Marinette confessed as she heard Adrien chuckle lightly.

Shaking his head, Adrien continued, "that's where you're wrong, Marinette. Your fresh outlook and designs are amazingly brilliant! Don't ever undermine your talents. This industry needs new pioneers of fashion in it and you have potential. I'm not speaking as your boyfriend but as a model and businessman and shareholder of the Agreste brand"

"I… I… d-don't k-know w-what t-to s-say" she stuttered, the nervous jitters taking control over her shaky hands as she fumbled around with the hem of her ruffled pink blouse.

"I've talked to my father and have shown him your designs. He also sees the potential you have and how valuable having you as a fellow employee could benefit the company. Marinette, I'm offering you a job as an intern here. You'll have to work your way up, of course, but you'll be a step above from a pencil pusher with special access to certain events" Adrien squeezed her shoulder and smiled at her.

Marinette's shaky hands touched her reddened cheeks and then checked the temperature of her forehead. "Am I dreaming?" she asked herself.

Adrien swiftly swooped in and kissed her forehead and moved towards her lips. "I can assure you that you're not dreaming. We're about to meet my father so he can discuss what the internship entails"

Marinette nodded and then bit her bottom lip, "are you okay with this?" she asked him which took him by surprise.

"With everything that has happened with us as Ladybug and Chat Noir… I know that your relationship with him hasn't been the easiest and I want to make sure you're okay"

Adrien deeply sighed, "I'm still working on forgiving him, not for his sake but mine. While our personal relationship has always been minimal and now almost non-existent… it'll probably take a good five years' worth of family therapy to even break a crack into our dynamic but as far as business partners go - we frequently talk so… it's fine. I'm fine and I'm not just saying that to make you feel at ease. I truly mean it, I'm okay"

Marinette nodded again as she slipped her hand back into his hold and they walked up to Gabriel's personal assistant's desk in the front of his office.

To say that Nathalie Sancœur was a pleasant person to approach would say the same thing about being thrown into the den of a hungry lioness.

Experiencing a brief yet awkward exchange of words with the personal assistant, she told them that _Monsieur_ Agreste has been expecting them and pressed a button on her desk's phone to let Gabriel know.

Inside the minimalist styled office that was decorated with butterfly motifs - of course that's when it suddenly clicked in Marinette's head.

Butterflies = Akumas = Hawkmoth.

Gabriel Agreste was sitting behind his large black desk as he wheeled himself around it to greet his son and Marinette.

"Father" Adrien tightly said, he retained himself from gritting his teeth.

No matter how much Adrien told her that it was fine and that he was okay - she knew he wasn't. Deep down inside, he truly wasn't.

"Adrien" Gabriel returned the formality and then with a hawk's watchful gaze, he eyed Marinette up and down taking in her pink short sleeved ruffled blouse with a simple thin black belt resting on her waist, the short black pencil skirt a few centimeters higher than her knees, and black wedges with ankle straps that had little bows on the side, the heels giving her a good height boost standing next to Adrien.

"Ahh… _Mademoiselle_ Dupain-Cheng" Gabriel greeted as his hands gripped onto the sides of the wheels of his wheelchair.

Somehow, Marinette's nerves left her and what was left was just… sadness.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"I'm so glad that, that's over now. Now we can go eat!" Adrien excitedly raised a fist up high into the air as they exited the building. The sun had started to set by the time they were finally out of Gabriel's office.

Marinette giggled at his antics as they walked towards the parking garage to his black Bugatti Veyron.

Adrien wore a simple white with black thin stripes patterned shirt from an old Gabriel Agreste men's casual collection of last year with red slim jeans and brown leather cap toe boots. He didn't care to greet his father with wearing a business suit but at least wore something of his so that he wouldn't talk… much.

Fishing his keys out of his back pocket, he clicked the button to unlock the car.

Marinette walked behind him as she was lost in her thoughts.

They decided on sushi for dinner.

Sitting inside the oriental themed restaurant, Adrien bit the inside of his cheek to shut him up and stop him from commenting on how incorrect the entire décor was.

"Do you want me to order more ginger and wasabi?" he asked Marinette as she thoughtfully chewed on her sashimi tuna.

"Hellooo, earth to Marinette" Adrien called out, waving his hand in front of her.

Snapping out of her thoughts, her eyes widen and then gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, what was that?"

Adrien shook his head, "too late, I already took care of it. So, care to tell inquiring minds, what my fair gorgeous Lady is so lost in thought over?"

Marinette playfully rolled her eyes at his compliment and deeply sighed, "it's nothing really… I'm just still taken by surprise by your father's condition… part of me feels responsible for it" she frowned.

Adrien dipped a roll of salmon sushi into soy sauce and held it on his chopsticks, placing it in front of Marinette so she could bite into it. Taking the piece, she slowly chewed on it as he spoke up.

"I don't want you blaming yourself for my father, okay? That's not your fault, your lucky charm didn't sever his spine and caused his paralysis from the waist down. The collapsing building and rubble did that. If you noticed the small scar of a cut on his left cheek… then that's my fault" he casually told her.

Her eyes widened as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I was angry at him, Marinette. I had lost my cool for a split second and I'm not very proud of my actions that day. I managed to stop myself from hurting him worse than he already was. I'm more concerned with the way that I had treated you that night"

Marinette quickly reached for his hand over the table and squeezed it hard.

"And I don't want you to beat yourself up for that part, okay? The past is in the past, what happened can't be changed but what we can change is how things move forward's on"

Adrien lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, minutes of silence passed them before he let go.

"One good thing came out of this mess" he softly said.

She nodded in agreement, her eyes flashing with an intense love that radiated off her and into him, "Our son" she told him.

Adrien gave her a toothy smile, a jubilant glow emanating off him, "I'm ready to meet him and for us to start being a family together. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, _Buginette_ "

Marinette laughed at the long forgotten cheesy nickname, "And I with you, _Chaton_ "

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette and Adrien arrived at Alya and Nino's place an hour after their dinner. They decided to take a stroll along the glimmering _seine,_ illuminated by _La Tour Eiffel_ , the busy noise of the streets of Paris howling in the slight breeze.

Alya busted her door open before Marinette could even send her a text that she had arrived. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail of brown and red ombré curls while she wore a simple mint green tank top with grey short shorts to lounge around in.

"Spill girl! So, did you get it?" she bounced in place.

Marinette raised a suspicious brow at her, "how'd you know?"

Alya huffed, placing a hand on her hip and pointed with the other towards Adrien, "loverboy and I have been text buddies for a while now. I knew that you'd be too chicken to take the initiative and keep stalling on your dreams. I won't apologize for meddling this time so tell me girl, did you or did you not blow Gabriel's crusty old ass away!"

Marinette mentally cringed at the image of Gabriel and laughed, "yes! I got the job! I start on monday!" she jumped as she grabbed hold of Alya's hands.

Both women squealed and jumped in circles. Finally, they hugged as Alya held Marinette's face and kissed both her cheeks. "I'm so proud of you!"

Marinette fought back her happy tears. She had done so much crying in the past two years but this time it was for all the right reasons.

Now it was the time that both she and Adrien had been anticipating all day.

Hearing a baby's cry coming from Alya and Nino's bedroom, Alya immediately started to head to her room when Marinette stopped her. "I got it" she told her, a tender smile placed on her lips and went to go get Louis who must have woken up from his nap.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

While Alya and Adrien waited for Marinette to come back, they both sat down on the white couch. Adrien was immensely nervous as Alya fed off his nerves and poked his shoulder causing him to jolt in his seat.

"Hey! What was that for!" Adrien yelped.

"Relax, _Daddy_ " she told him, watching a blush soon spread on his cheeks.

"Nino's not here, he's still working so you can relax from his onslaught of teasing for tonight, okay?" Alya laughed as Adrien let out his breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

"All you gotta do is worry about me" Alya teased as he groaned.

"Alya… just because I told you I was Chat Noir doesn't mean I'll tell you _everything_ behind the scenes of how the Ladybug and Chat Noir duo worked"

"Hey, blame the journalist in me. I can't help it, I'm giddy"

Adrien chuckled at that, "it wasn't any easy task, you know? Being fourteen and being thrown into something that was way over our heads at that age. We were just kids"

Alya quietly reached for his shoulders, turning his body to face hers as she crushed him into her embrace. "I can't imagine how difficult that must have been but… I'm glad it was you, Adrien. My best friend has a man in her life that values her for the treasure she is"

Adrien felt touched by her words and squeezed her back, "I love her, Alya, and I want her to be my wife" he confessed.

Alya wasn't surprised in the least bit by that as she held back her happy tears. "Just don't go copying my wedding date. Double anniversaries sound so annoying"

Adrien laughed again and nodded in her neck, "I promise, I'll let Marinette pick out the date once I pop the question"

Thirty minutes passed with Adrien and Alya losing track of time while talking and joking around. Marinette came back into the room with her arms wrapped around a blue baby blanket and a calm baby.

"Sorry, he was a bit fussy after his sudden wake up" Marinette lightly bounced Louis in her arms as she secured his head and body with her arms and walked towards Adrien. He was still sucking on a green pacifier, a habit that she knew she'd soon have to get him out of.

Adrien, with the grace of an awkward newborn giraffe, bolted up from the couch and stood as his heart hammered against his ribcage. Luckily he hadn't tipped anything on the coffee table over.

Alya watched in amusement as she put her bare mint green pedicured feet on the couch cushion and sat with her legs crossed on top of the couch head.

"Louis, this is your _papa_ Adrien. He's a supermodel that likes really lame puns, especially cat ones" Marinette joked and kissed his head, turning to face Adrien.

He felt like his hands suddenly got clammy as Marinette gestured for him to hold his son. Gulping, he supported Louis' head and body in his arms as he looked at his black hair and opened green-hazel eyes. Big eyes that stared at him as he continued to suck on his green pacifier.

"Hi, son. I'm your _papa_ and despite what your _maman_ says, my puns are to die for" he smiled and tapped Louis' little nose.

In that moment, all his nerves left him and what was left was only love.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Since that day, they started their lives together as a family. Now going on five months into their new life.

Adrien juggled his modeling schedule, spending all his free time with his now-fiancée who he proposed to the following day after telling Alya of his plans, not wanting to wait forever to plan some intricate romantic setup for it, already knowing that she'd say yes. As well as spending all his free time with their son.

He was also pretty ecstatic at the fact that he'd finally gotten rid of his phone trading it in for a newer model and a new phone number where Lila could never reach him. Some things were better left in the past but also needed to come clean, out in the open as Adrien told Marinette about his extremely brief hook-up with Lila during that summer when he wasn't acting like himself two years ago and how she turned out to be more of an obsessive stalker than anything. Despite what Lila said, they never once slept together which Marinette only laughed in his face about and thanked him for his honesty, part of her being relieved that she's been the only woman he's ever been intimate with. Adrien grumbled as she found it amusing, saying how she was just glad that Lila didn't turn out to be a crazy stalker seeing as she's run into the Italian model once or twice while working.

Marinette started her job as an intern at Gabriel Agreste's main building on that fateful monday and since then, every day was filled with a new adventure in where she couldn't wait to get home at the end of each day.

Whether it was Adrien almost turning all his clothes pink with a single red sock getting into his white load once they finally invested in a washer and dryer for their home meanwhile Plagg flew around laughing in a drunken stupor or Adrien accidentally overloading the washer with soap and causing the bubbly water to overflow inside the penthouse, coming home to a carpet of soap suds - she loved every moment.

Adrien cursed that the washer and dryer set they purchased was too high tech for him, claiming that he had gotten used to the public _laverie's,_ which caused Marinette to roll her eyes at his silly excuse as she'd pat his cheek and fake her sympathy.

"It's so hard to get laundry done in the convenience of our very home when I'm over here, as ancient as a dinosaur that doesn't understand what all these fancy buttons do" Adrien groaned as he clutched onto the user manual.

"Adrien, it literally has four buttons" she laughed, holding onto her sides.

"Ooh, are we making fun of Adrien? Count me in!" Plagg happily laughed along with Marinette as both Adrien and Tikki crossed their arms staring at the two and shook their heads disapprovingly.

Marinette especially loved it when she'd come home late at night, slipping her heels off for the night, as she'd pass the entrance and the rushing water of the water feature décor mounted on the wall. Walking further in, she'd find a covered plate on the kitchen counter for her to reheat as she found her soon-to-be-husband passed out on the living room couch with a mountain of pillows and throw blankets surrounding him as Louis slept soundly with him in his arms.

She'd neatly fold the sticky notes left on her cold meals and store them into a glass jar she had in their bedroom. Every love note kept for those rainy days when she'd miss him terribly whenever he'd have to fly off to some exotic part of the world for photoshoots.

Leaving her home cooked meal untouched for the time being, she walked over to the couch and gently leaned over to brush Adrien's messy blonde locks out of his closed eyes and kissed his forehead. Her eyes catching the small twinkle from his engagement ring as his steady breaths moved his hand that rested securely over Louis on top of his chest.

So much had happened in their lives.

Adrien was still struggling over his personal relationship with his father but that was more of a boulder than a small pebble he had to hurdle over by himself even though he knew he wasn't alone in the matter. Marinette reminded him to take baby steps with his progress as he agreed to _try_.

Marinette never went near her old apartment or ever saw Nathanaël ever again, as he himself never tried contacting her. Now the only bruises that temporarily marred her otherwise smooth and fair freckled skin was whenever she and Adrien got a little too fevered in the bedroom or from her unbelievably bad luck with being cursed to be clumsy for all eternity as she'd drop things, tip things over, or fall face first into the ground.

They were both finally happy.

Free to love one another.

No more secrets between them.

A happy and healthy family.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After Louis' first birthday, Adrien and Marinette both decided that they needed to tell Marinette's parents about everything that has happened leading to them being together and ready to tie the knot in a few months. Not wanting to walk down the aisle or start their new life as a wedded couple if they still had some loose ends to mend.

They decided to throw a small intimate birthday party at Tom and Sabine's _pâtisserie-boulangerie_ which consisted of only Marinette's parents, Alya and Nino to accompany Marinette and Adrien in celebrating their son's first birthday.

Once the festivities were over, they were left with a mountain high pile of gifts that were mainly from Adrien and Alya saying they were guilty of wanting to spoil Louis. Setting the presents aside, the next task Marinette had was to kick a tipsy Alya out before she'd beg to help clean up as Marinette was more than grateful for Nino stepping in and carrying Alya away over his shoulder as she complained.

"I'll call you tomorrow!" Marinette called out as she waved at their leaving figures.

Adrien chuckled at the sight as he wiped down the table and helped place the last bit of birthday cake in a container to take home later.

Spotless as if there were no confetti on the floor, birthday streamers, a huge banner hung from wall to wall across the small space, and balloons all over the place - they had finally finished an hour later from cleaning.

Adrien did most of the work from picking up trash, taking off decorations, washing dishes and putting away leftover food not wanting Marinette to overexert herself despite her protest leaving her with only wiping down the tables.

Sitting on a chair, Adrien used his fingers to count off all the tasks, making sure he hasn't left anything unmarked from his mental notes not wanting to sour Tom's mood in any way.

While Marinette's parents instantly fell in love with Adrien Agreste, having recognized his face from the thousands upon thousands of billboards scattered about the city with his face plastered on them, they were pleasantly surprised to discover that their daughter had caught his eyes and heart. They were humble bakers in every sense of the word.

Tom Dupain especially fell in love with Adrien, seeing the good in him. Adrien was intimidated at first by the larger man's build, knowing that if he ever got on Tom's bad side, he could effortlessly break his pretty model face with one fisted grip alone. He prayed that today wouldn't lead to his premature death before he could ever get the chance of marrying his Lady, the love of his life.

While Adrien's thoughts took him away from checking off if he had missed any speck of trash or confetti on the floor, and turned into fear for the unknown of what Marinette's father might do to him once he found out the truth about him being Chat Noir and Louis' biological father. He didn't notice or feel when Marinette came to sit on his lap.

He subconsciously wrapped his arms gently over her waist. She touched his cheek with one hand, leaning in to give it a kiss and with the other hand, she raised his hand to rest comfortably on the small bump of her stomach as she held it there.

Adrien smiled, his tense muscles instantaneously relaxed as he rubbed her stomach and knew that everything would work out in the end. If he'd have to suffer a broken nose or a blackened eye - so be it.

No one and nothing could get in the way of him marrying the young beautiful woman that sat in his lap, the woman that he was lucky to wake up right next to him each and every day as they patiently waited for her parents to finish putting Louis into bed upstairs.

" _Je veux être avec toi_ " Marinette told him in a hushed tone, only wanting him to hear it.

Adrien titled his neck and crashed his lips with hers as his free hand weaved into her black loose wavy tresses and held her head as he deepened the kiss eliciting a satisfying moan from her.

"You've always had me, now and forever" he told her with a breathy voice.

She nodded, smiling at him, "I know"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his chest, breathing in the fresh scent of his cologne. It never failed to help relax her as she felt the safest in his arms.

"Are you ready, Kitty?" she asked as Adrien rubbed circular motions into her back and croaked out, "ready as I'll ever be, my Lady"

Marinette snorted, "that doesn't sound very convincing you know"

"I'm internally freaking out over here" Adrien pouted.

She didn't need to see his expression to know he was pouting as she lifted her head from his chest and placed a kiss on his throat, "you'll live"

"Gee, thanks" Adrien deadpanned.

Marinette continued to laugh at his expense and shook her head.

"Silly Kitty"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Tom and Sabine came downstairs and smiled seeing their daughter and her fiancé embracing as they waited for them.

"He's finally asleep" Sabine spoke up, letting them know about Louis.

Marinette thanked her mother as she got off Adrien's lap and took a seat next to him instead.

They held their hands together above the table as Tom and Sabine took their seats across the small table.

"You wanted to talk to use about something, sweetie?" Tom curiously asked his daughter as Marinette nodded.

She braced herself as Adrien squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Her parents needed to know. They deserved the truth.

" _Papa… Maman…"_ she started.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

THE END.

Jk.

Done! To be continued.

Just one more chapter and we're done! Next up: Tom and Sabine's reaction + Epilogue = the real ending.

I normally don't ever get the chance to do this but seeing as I have time, I've decided that **I'll upload the last chapter on July 10th**! I started this fic on **July 10th** of last year, so it'll only make sense that I end it on its one-year anniversary. Wow, I can't believe that. I'm pretty stoked to be able to do this for once.

Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


	10. Tu Me Rends Heureux

AN: D'aww thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! It puts a big smile on face whenever I read the reaction you guys have towards each and every chapter. Even though this story is a bit shorter than my other current one, it's still hard to say goodbye to it but I hope that you enjoyed the emotional roller coaster ride from beginning to end.

Enough of my ramblings and happy reading~ :)

Tu Me Rends Heureux

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Marinette took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly to get her nervous, racing heart to calm down. She remembered what her parents had to go through with her when Chat Noir - when Adrien left her, alone and pregnant. She knew it wasn't easy on them to try and get her back on her feet. And she loved and cherished her parents dearly for it.

They mean so much to her but so does Adrien.

" _Papa… Maman_ …" she started as she felt Adrien squeeze her hand again, urging her to speak up before his own nerves ate him up.

"I love you both so very much and I want you two to know that I'm happy, truly happy" she gave them a soft sincere smile and then turned her view towards Adrien and smiled again, "Adrien is my world and after two years apart, we've found our way to each other again so it's only fair that we confess something" she paused, making sure her words were heard as she kept her gaze at her slightly confused parents once more, "you know all about my time as Ladybug and about my relationship with Chat Noir but I'd like you two to meet Chat Noir in person" she gulped as Adrien squeezed her held hand tighter and let go as he stood up.

"My real name is Adrien Agreste, son of famous fashion mogul Gabriel Agreste, but to the rest of the world I was Chat Noir and Ladybug - Marinette's partner and the biological father of her child Louis" Adrien mentally noted that he amazed himself, he didn't mess up or stutter his words. He didn't know what to do other than face her parents and bowed at them.

He held his head down as a tense silence filled the room.

A minute later, Tom was the first to speak up as he stood up from his seat, "You're the _tomcat_ that seduced and slept with my daughter, who was already risking her life behind our backs. Why, I ought to-!" Tom lunged himself across the table as Adrien's quick reactions swiftly caused him to dodge two bulky arms from grabbing his neck to choke him.

Marinette pulled Adrien by his left forearm, placing him behind her as she slammed both palms roughly against the table and yelled at her dad, " _Papa!_ Please! Adrien didn't seduce me! It's my body, and my choice! I didn't know Chat Noir's real identity back then. Fate happened to bring us back together and I'm happy to get the opportunity to say that I'm raising _our_ son with his rightful father! Louis will grow up knowing his _real_ father who loves him very much! The man that I love and adore, that I can't wait to get married to!" tears pricked at her face, warning her that they'd spill but she fought the urge to cry in front of her parents.

She felt Adrien cautiously walk closer to her and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side as he looked determinedly at Tom, "I never intended on ever hurting your daughter, Sir. I love Marinette with everything that I am and I plan on never leaving her, never making her cry or cause her any pain, and to never not remind her each and every day how much I love and worship her" Adrien finished his plea as he turned his body while still holding onto Marinette and held her chin with his free hand, staring lovingly into her sapphire orbs that looked back at him with all the love she had for him in the world.

Sabine soothingly rubbed her husband's arms as he steadied his breathing and deeply sighed, "Marinette, you're not a little girl anymore which is hard on me but… this is the first time I've seen you genuinely happy in over two years. Seeing you miserable broke my heart and I never want to see that expression on your beautiful face ever again" he gave her a half-smile and then stared at Adrien, his eyes hard as stones, "Adrien, I know you're a good man and I don't hate you. Knowing that you're taking responsibility for your actions is more than I could ever ask for. So, I won't go against your union and you have my blessing but… ahhh" Tom scratched the back of his neck, then looked at his simple silver band on his ring finger, "Both of you are young and have endured so much already, you'll continue to fail and succeed as you grow but you'll hurdle through whatever obstacles life throws your way, together" he finished as he weaved his hand with his wife's and smiled at her.

Adrien glanced at Marinette, a peaceful content smile placed on her pink lips, then he quickly pecked her cheek and rushed towards Tom as he grabbed the bigger man into a tight embrace.

"Thank you _, Monsieur Dupain_! Thank you!" he chanted as Tom laughed and patted him on the back.

"Welcome to the family" Sabine patted Adrien's shoulder, waiting for her turn to hug him as her eyes and lips silently smiled at both her worried, soon-to-be-wed children. They could go home now at ease knowing that no secrets were left to clear up.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

As their conversation switched to a lighter mood with Tom and Sabine too busy focusing on Adrien and joking with him, Marinette bit her lower lip as she twiddled her fingers together and walked towards their little circle that moved away from the front tables to the back kitchen where they were opening up a bottle of champagne. She stopped before reaching them and stood by the empty display case by the cash register.

"Umm…" she cleared her throat as all three turned to face her.

"Yes, honey?" Sabine asked facing her as Tom and Adrien were struggling with opening the bottle.

She knew that Adrien knew so he wouldn't be surprised, if anything he was internally trying not to jump over the moon but she stood far away in case her dad decided to faint on her… again from the news she was about to throw at her parents.

"I'm p-p-pregnant!" she squeaked out.

Sabine clasped both her hands to her mouth as she gasped, surprised but overjoyed. Meanwhile Tom stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at his daughter, now noticing the small bump of her stomach with wide forest green eyes.

Adrien heard every word as he kept the bottle from slipping from Tom's grasp and ended up popping the cork in the shocked silence. Fizzing champagne spouted out of the bottle and onto the floor as Tom fainted onto the tiled floor. Sabine immediately went to embrace a shy Marinette as she gushed while Adrien awkwardly set the bottle of champagne down on the counter and helped Tom out.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

~Epilogue~

A five year old boy eagerly led the way towards a public park, his green-hazel eyes glued onto the nearby mini market that was sure to have ice cream, perfect for the Parisian heatwave that they were currently feeling.

"Quick _Maman!_ Hurry! Hurry!" he jumped his steps as he tugged on his mother's peach tulle skirt with his tiny hand as an airy laugh escaped his mother's lips.

"Slow down, Louis" a man's voice called out, "you know that your mom can't run" he told the boy as they made their way across the park.

"I wonder whose fault that is" the woman smirked, as she heard her husband chuckle.

"I promised we were done, didn't I?" he shot back his own smirk at her as he quickly grabbed his eager son and placed him on top of his shoulders, "I'll race you to the shop, _Bugaboo!"_ he said as he sped off.

Rolling her eyes, she adjusted the weight of a little girl on her right side and with her left hand she caressed the bump of her stomach, pulling the cotton material of her mid-sleeve white lace blouse further down, paranoid that her round belly would be exposed. At this point, she couldn't even see the simple white with peach colored flats she wore on her feet.

Slowly she waddled her way in the direction her son and husband ran off to as she enjoyed the nice little stroll with her daughter and finally arrived at the small corner shop.

Inside she could already make out the tall blonde figure of her husband as he stood by the freezers searching for the ice cream that his son wanted.

She knew that he would get a cold treat for both children as her random food cravings tugged at her growling tummy. Before deciding which aisle to look for a snack in, she carefully maneuvered herself to place her daughter on the ground so she could walk as she held her tiny hand.

Finally doing so, she chose an aisle that had different types of chips on the shelves. Distracted by all the choices, she didn't see when her shoulder accidentally bumped against a slightly taller figure than her in the narrow passage.

"Oh! _Je suis désolé! Excusez-moi_ " the man apologized as her sky-blue eyes widened as wide as saucers, a small gasp escaped her parted rosy lips as she tightened her hold on her daughter and stood in front of her, blocking her from the man's view.

"M-M-Marinette?" he asked, surprised as he ran one slender paint covered hand over fiery bright red hair. Her hair was longer, styled in a wavy side braided ponytail, but he could never forget her face.

"Nathanaël" she breathed, too stunned to move with shaky legs that wanted to be anywhere but there with him.

Face to face for the first time in over five years.

His name a mere whisper of bad omens left on her lips.

Nathanaël hastily put his hands up in front of him as he spoke, "please don't freak out! I uhh… I want to apologize to you, Marinette. You didn't deserve the way that I treated you back then" he gave her a weak, shy smile and tried not to stare too much at her pregnant stomach and the beautiful blonde haired, green eyed little girl that curiously stared back at him from behind Marinette's skirt.

He kept his distance, afraid of trying to touch her, not wanting to feel the scared rejection from her as he continued, "I was a struggling artist with my own demons to face… I was in a really rough spot, both physically and mentally. You saw me at my worst and it's sad to admit, but it took a beating from your…" he eyed her elegant diamond and ruby encrusted wedding ring and looked at her, "from your husband. After that experience… I got help. I've been in therapy ever since and I've been sober for four years now" he told her as he took a small step towards her.

Marinette's throat tightened up on her but she nodded, understanding. "I'm... happy for you" she quietly said.

Nathanaël nodded back, ready to excuse himself and leave when Marinette spoke up again, "I forgive you, Nathanaël. I'll always be grateful to you for the time that you accepted me with my son. I… wasn't perfect either, even though I had cheated on you, you still wanted me and picked up the pieces of my broken heart, thank you for that. I can't hate you completely because I know there's good in you so, I forgive you" she told him simply, not wanting to add more knowing that she would start crying with her current heightened emotions.

Nathanaël let out a heavy breath, not realizing he had held it in for long. Feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he started to feel lighter. The boulder of guilt that had piled onto his back in the past five years was finally crushed.

"Nath! We're going to miss our movie!" a woman made her way towards the aisle and looped her arm with Nathanaël's.

"Oh, right!" Nathanaël lightly smacked his forehead and then genuinely smiled at Marinette facing the tall, thin, tanned woman on his arm. "Marinette, this is-" he began.

"Lila" Marinette finished for him.

Lila flashed her a tense toothy smile and waved, whispering into Nathanaël's ear and walking off.

"You know my girlfriend, Lila?" Nathanaël asked, confusion coloring his tone as Marinette giggled and shrugged her shoulders, "it's hard not to know who Lila Rossi, famous Italian supermodel is but yes, I work for the Gabriel Agreste label so I see her occasionally there but soon enough, I'm planning on leaving and opening my own little _boutique_ " she explained, not wanting to add that Lila was once her husband's stalker that he had a brief fling with years ago or how she planned on naming her store after said husband's alter ego. _Le Chat Noir_ had a nice ring to it but not even Alya, her best friend knew the name just yet.

"That's… amazing, Marinette! I'm glad to hear that your dream came true!" Nathanaël cheerfully replied then he glanced at his watch, "Oh man, I should get going now but… I'm grateful that I got a chance encounter with you, Mari, to make amends with what's happened in the past. I've been wanting to apologize to you for years now but you know… life and being a coward to do so got in the way"

Marinette shook her head and held her hand out for him to grab.

He gladly accepted her invitation to as he gently squeezed it, "what matters is that you did and that you finally found your own happiness, Nathanaël"

Marinette allowed him to lean in to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek as he departed.

"Mommy, who was that?" her daughter that was holding onto her hand asked, looking up at her.

"He's just a friend, Emma" she told her smiling as they made their way towards a patiently waiting husband who held three melting ice creams in his hands as Louis happily ate his own. He didn't say anything but saw everything that had just occurred.

"You okay?" he asked her, watching her every move, even trying to catch a fib.

She shook her head and rubbed her stomach with her free hand, "he apologized and also thanked you for beating him up, Adrien"

Adrien snorted, "wow, that's a first. Now if only my dad would thank me for knocking some sense into him"

"Don't you mean, scratch some sense into him?" she corrected as she helped him with the ice creams, taking one for herself and handing the other wrapped in a napkin for Emma.

"Same thing" he playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh, Kitty's got his tongue tied"

"It's hot, I can't make any _paw-some_ puns that don't sound _cat-astrophic_ " he said with a big smug smile plastered on his face.

"See what I did there?" he laughed.

Marinette rolled her eyes, taking a dollop of her ice cream and tapping the tip of his nose with it, staying in the fairly air vented store not wanting to face the summer heat at the moment. Once they finished their treats, they made their way outside towards the small park again.

Adrien scrunched his face up from the cold wet sensation still lingering on his heat flustered face and puckered his lips. "no fair, Princess, you're setting a bad explain for our kids" he joked as he tried to lick the remaining ice cream off his nose, using his tongue but failing.

"Hardly. If anything, you're the one setting the bad example for our little kittens with all those horrible puns too" she raised an inquisitive brow at him as she wiped his nose with a napkin.

" _Touché,_ but you know you love them just as much as you love me" he said, as he intertwined their fingers together, his own diamond and emerald encrusted wedding ring glimmering off the reflections of sunlight as Emma and Louis walked by their sides, holding their hands.

"I do" she glowed radiantly and tilted her head to give him a playful kiss.

Adrien leaned down to capture her lips and smiled into their tender moment.

 _"Je veux être avec toi,_ Marinette Agreste" he told her in a hushed tone, only wanting her to hear it. Remembering her exact words to him five years ago when they were both nervous about talking to her parents.

"You've always had me, now and forever" she told him, repeating his same words to her five short years ago as she claimed his lips again for a bit longer this time.

"Eww gross, _maman_ , _papa_! Let's go play!" Louis whined at seeing his parents 'making out' in public while Emma silently with a curious gleam in her eyes, looked over at her bouncing big brother and wanted to play too.

Adrien and Marinette laughed as Adrien let go of her hand and surprise attacked his kids by scooping up Louis and Emma in both arms and ran off like a jet with them to go play in the grassy area nearby a water fountain.

Marinette rubbed her pregnant belly again and giggled, "I can't wait for you to meet your crazy dad, and big brother and sister, Hugo" she whispered to her active sleepy baby that was growing inside her and found a bench to rest on as she sat and watched her small but happy family play.

Seven years ago, she would have never pictured herself happily married to the love of her life and able to give her only child a little sister and soon a little brother.

Seven years ago, her life was hell and filled with darkness, never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd ever find Chat Noir's real identity.

Seven years ago, she was convinced that her Kitty didn't love her back.

Seven years ago, her head stayed up in the clouds, daydreaming and being pessimistic about her dreams of becoming a fashion designer and purchasing her own shop that she could call her own, from ever becoming a reality.

But now, she had everything and so much more.

It wasn't about the money or the successful career.

It was about destiny and the red string of fate reuniting them in a public laundromat of all places.

It was about the handsome young kind-hearted model who spared a few moments of his personal time to lend an ear, listening to her problems, a 'stranger' that needed helped but was too stubborn to ask for it.

It was about the young, broken and bruised woman who took a chance at love and happiness and risked it all in order to escape an abusive relationship.

It was about the life she's made with Adrien.

It was about their kids.

It was about all the happy memories already made and blissful moments that were sure to come in the future.

It was about love.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had found each other and all was right with the world.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The End~ Done. :)

All good things must eventually come to an end. Since I didn't include Chloe in this one, Nathanaël got his redemption and ended up with Lila (don't even know if that's a ship but eh) don't worry, even though I didn't bother to write more about their relationship – people change as they grow older so picture Lila as not being that crazy stalker she was to Adrien with Nath now in her life.

Marinette was pregnant with Emma when she and Adrien tell her parents about Chat Noir. No baby Hugo in this one but he will make an appearance elsewhere. ;D Plagg and Tikki are still there, probably just decided to stay home instead of face the heat of a summer day. Lol.

Thank you all for supporting this fic for an entire year!

Thank you to those who stuck around until the very end. To those that took a liking to my story telling and writing. I aim to write quality fics, stories that I, myself can read over and over again.

With times changing, I can't help but to feel discouraged sometimes whenever I see that other platforms such as AO3 and Tumblr are the preferred for fanfics… so, from the bottom of my heart – thank you for reviewing/favoriting/following this fic and showing me that you as the readers out there are genuinely interested.

This certainly won't be my last fic! I still have _Tu Es Beau_ to finish and am currently thinking of writing a Fashion and Soulmates au based fics that I can hopefully start on either one sometime during the summer. Please look forward to more in the near future!

So, even though this fic is now completed – please don't be afraid to continue showing it love! Please do review! Until next time! :D

If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.

So ya know the drill! Tell me what ya think! ;D


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